English

Algebraic characterization of reversibility in the quaternionic M\"obius group

Geometric Topology 2026-04-01 v2 Group Theory

Abstract

An element of a group is called \emph{reversible} if it is conjugate to its inverse. While reversibility in the quaternionic M\"{o}bius group PSL(2,H)\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{H}) has traditionally been studied using geometric and dynamical methods, we develop a purely algebraic approach. We obtain an explicit, computable criterion for the reversibility of a quaternionic M\"{o}bius transformation, expressed solely in terms of the entries of a matrix representative. More precisely, we prove that [A]PSL(2,H) is reversibleβA2=δA2, [A]\in \mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{H}) \text{ is reversible} \quad \Longleftrightarrow \quad \beta_A^{2}=\delta_A^{2}, where βA\beta_A and δA\delta_A are real conjugacy invariants associated with a lift ASL(2,H)A\in \mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{H}). Furthermore, we give a complete characterization of reversing symmetries of reversible elements in SL(2,H)\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{H}) and PSL(2,H)\mathrm{PSL}(2,\mathbb{H}).

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2401.15374,
  title  = {Algebraic characterization of reversibility in the quaternionic M\"obius group},
  author = {Krishnendu Gongopadhyay and Tejbir Lohan and Abhishek Mukherjee},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.15374},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

Final version, 10 pages. To appear in Czechoslovak Mathematical Journal. Substantially revised, with improved exposition and refinements to the title, abstract, and main results