- #1
mnb96
- 715
- 5
Hello,
Given a Lie group G and a smooth path γ:[-ε,ε]→G centered at g∈G (i.e., γ(0)=g), and assuming I have a chart Φ:G→U⊂ℝn, how do I define the derivative [itex]\frac{d\gamma}{dt}\mid_{t=0}[/itex] ?
I already know that many books define the derivative of matrix Lie groups in terms of an "infinitesimal change" between matrices, but I still have troubles accepting that definition because such an infinitesimal change involves the calculation of a difference between matrices, while it is assumed that the only binary operation we can perform between elements of a matrix Lie group is matrix multiplication.
The answer I am looking for should be valid for general Lie groups and it should be general enough to contain the definition of derivative of matrix Lie groups as a special case.
Given a Lie group G and a smooth path γ:[-ε,ε]→G centered at g∈G (i.e., γ(0)=g), and assuming I have a chart Φ:G→U⊂ℝn, how do I define the derivative [itex]\frac{d\gamma}{dt}\mid_{t=0}[/itex] ?
I already know that many books define the derivative of matrix Lie groups in terms of an "infinitesimal change" between matrices, but I still have troubles accepting that definition because such an infinitesimal change involves the calculation of a difference between matrices, while it is assumed that the only binary operation we can perform between elements of a matrix Lie group is matrix multiplication.
The answer I am looking for should be valid for general Lie groups and it should be general enough to contain the definition of derivative of matrix Lie groups as a special case.