##SU(2)## homeomorphic with ##\mathbb S^3##

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the topological relationship between the group ##SU(2)## and the 3-sphere ##\mathbb S^3##, specifically addressing whether they are homeomorphic. Participants explore the necessary topological structures and bijections that could establish this homeomorphism, including the implications of induced topologies and continuity conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant asserts that ##SU(2)## as a topological space is homeomorphic to ##\mathbb S^3##, proposing a bijection between them and questioning the topology on ##SU(2)##.
  • Another participant introduces a link to isomorphisms related to ##SU(2)## but does not directly address the homeomorphism question.
  • Several participants discuss the concept of induced topologies from bijections, with one suggesting that different bijections could lead to the same induced topology on a set ##B##.
  • Concerns are raised about the continuity of bijections and the necessity of homeomorphisms, with one participant emphasizing that not all bijections are homeomorphisms.
  • There is a clarification that ##SU(2)## has a subspace topology from ##\mathbb{R}^8##, while another participant corrects the dimensionality of charts related to ##\mathbb S^3##.
  • Participants discuss the implications of cutting a sphere in half, illustrating how bijections can fail to be homeomorphisms under certain topological conditions.
  • One participant defines a specific topology on ##B## to ensure that a bijection becomes a homeomorphism, while another questions the generality of such definitions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of induced topologies and the conditions under which bijections can be considered homeomorphisms. There is no consensus on the specifics of the topological structures involved or the implications of the various bijections discussed.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include potential misunderstandings regarding the definitions of induced topologies and continuity, as well as the dimensionality of the spaces involved. The discussion remains open-ended with unresolved mathematical steps and varying interpretations of the relationships between the spaces.

  • #61
fresh_42 said:
All that is needed is the decision of how you want to look at it and where to start from. We run around in circles here, partly because of the words "induced" or "subspace topology" which have been used without mentioning "induced by what and how?" or "subspace of what?".
See this link (2nd answer). The set of matrices ##M(z,w)## without constraint ##|z|^2 + |w|^2 =1## is homeomorphic with ##\mathbb C^2 \cong \mathbb R^4##. The condition ##|z|^2 + |w|^2 =1## defines a 3-sphere ##\mathbb S^3## in ##\mathbb R ^4##. Then restricting the above homeomorphism on ##\mathbb S^3## endowed with the subspace topology from ##\mathbb R ^4## we get the homeomorphism with ##SU(2)##.
 
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  • #62
I will not respond to an again imprecisely phrased statement since ##M(z,w)## is undefined, there is no homeomorphism other than the identity, and a point on ##\mathbb{S}^3## has nothing to do with a point on ##SU(2)## without explaining the correspondence. I can understand it, nevertheless, it is sloppy. IMO, you have to learn to be way more precise than you usually are. Half of your questions resolve themselves once they are stated with the necessary precision. That does NOT mean to write more, au contraire, it is very often less!

This thread is closed.
 
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