Irreducible representations of the Dn group

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the irreducible representations of the dihedral group ##D_n##, specifically questioning whether any irreducible representation can exist with a dimension greater than two. The scope includes theoretical aspects of group representation and mathematical reasoning.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if the dihedral group ##D_n## lacks irreducible representations with dimensions higher than two.
  • Several participants reference an external source that appears to support the claim that such representations do not exist.
  • Another participant provides a reasoning approach involving the normal Abelian subgroup of index 2, explaining how the restriction of an irreducible representation leads to a sum of one-dimensional representations, ultimately concluding that the dimension must be one or two.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants seem to agree that irreducible representations of the dihedral group ##D_n## do not exceed two dimensions, but the discussion includes varying levels of detail and reasoning, indicating some complexity in the argumentation.

Contextual Notes

The discussion relies on the properties of the dihedral group and the structure of its representations, which may involve assumptions about the nature of the representations and the groups involved.

Robin04
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TL;DR
Is is true that the dihedral group Dn does not have an irreducible representation with a dimension higher than two?
Is is true that the dihedral group ##D_n## does not have an irreducible representation with a dimension higher than two?
 
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You can see that in following way. The group has a normal Abelian subgroup of index 2. If you have an irreducible representation of the dihedral group say ##V##, restrict it to the subgroup, then it is a sum of one dimensional representation ##V=\oplus V_i##. The action of the full group is determined by the action of a representative of the nontrivial coset (remember index two). Pick one of the one dimensional spaces say ##V_1##, the representative either sends it to itself or to another one dimensional subsapce say ##V_2##. Then in the first case ##V_1## is invariant under the full group, in the second case ##V_1\oplus V_2## is. So it must be that ##V## is either one or two dimensional.
 
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