generalized quaternion group


The groups given by the presentationMathworldPlanetmathPlanetmathPlanetmath

Q4n=a,b:an=b2,a2n=1,b-1ab=a-1

are the generalized quaternion groups. Generally one insists that n>1 as the properties of generalized quaternions become more uniform at this stage. However if n=1 then one observes a=b2 so Q4n4. Dihedral group properties are strongly related to generalized quaternion group properties because of their highly related presentations. We will see this in many of our results.

Proposition 1.
  1. 1.

    |Q4n|=4n.

  2. 2.

    Q4n is abelianMathworldPlanetmathPlanetmath if and only if n=1.

  3. 3.

    Every element xQ4n can be written uniquely as x=aibj where 0i<2n and j=0,1.

  4. 4.

    Z(Q4n)=an2.

  5. 5.

    Q4n/Z(Q4n)D2n.

Proof.

Given the relationMathworldPlanetmath b-1ab=a-1 (rather treating it as ab=ba-1) then as with dihedral groupsMathworldPlanetmath we can shuffle words in {a,b} to group all the as at the beginning and the bs at the end. So every word takes the form aibj. As |a|=2n and |b|=4 we have 0i<2n and 0j<4. However we have an added relation that an=b2 so we can write aib2=ai+2 and also aib3=ai+2b so we restrict to j=0,1. This gives us 4n elements of this form which makes the order of Q4n at most 4n.

As an=b2 it follows [an,aibj]=[an,bj]=[b2,bj]=1. So an is central. If we quotient by an then we have the presentation

a,b:an=1,b2=1,b-1ab=a-1

which we recognize as the presentation of the dihedral group. Thus Q4n/anD2n. This prove the order of Q4n is exactly 4n. Moreover, given aibjZ(Q4n) we have

1=[aibj,b]=b-ja-ib-1aibjb=b-ja-ia-ib-1bjb=b-ja-2ibj=a2i.

So we have i=n. So anbj=bj+2. Then 1=[bj+2,a] forces j=0,2. This means Z(Q4n)=an=b2. ∎

1 Examples

As mentioned, if n=1 then Q44. If n=2 then we have the usual quaternion groupMathworldPlanetmathPlanetmath Q8. Because of the genesis of quaternionsMathworldPlanetmath, this group is often denoted with i,j,k relations as follows:

Q8=-1,i,j,k:i2=j2=k2=-1,ij=k=-1ji.

These relations are responsible for many useful results such as defining cross products for three-dimensional manipulations, and are also responsible for the most common example of a division ring. As a group, Q8 is a curious specimen of a p-group in that it has only normal subgroupsMathworldPlanetmath yet is non-abelianMathworldPlanetmathPlanetmath, it has a unique minimalPlanetmathPlanetmath subgroupMathworldPlanetmathPlanetmath and cannot be represented faithfully except by a regular representationPlanetmathPlanetmath – thus requiring degree 8. [To see this note that the unique minmal subgroup is necessarily normal, thus if a proper subgroupMathworldPlanetmath is the stabilizerMathworldPlanetmath of an action, then the minimal normal subgroup is in the kernel so the representationPlanetmathPlanetmath is not faithful.]

A common work around is to use 2×2 matrices over but to treat these as matrices over .

-1=[-100-1],i=[i00-i],j=[0ii0],k=[0-110].

A worthwhile additional example is n=3. For this produces a group order 12 which is often overlooked.

2 Subgroup structure

Proposition 2.

Q4n is HamiltonianPlanetmathPlanetmath – meaning all a non-abelian groupMathworldPlanetmath whose subgroups are normal – if and only if n=2.

Proof.

As Q4n/Z(Q4n)D2n, then if Q4n is Hamiltonian then we require D2n to be as well. However when n>2 we know D2n has non-normal subgroups, for example ab. So we require n2. If n=1 then Q4n is cyclic and so trivially Hamiltonian. When n=2 we have the usual quaternion group of order 8 which is Hamiltonian by direct inspection: the conjugacy classesMathworldPlanetmathPlanetmath are {1}, {a2}, {a,a3}, {b,a2b} and {ab,a3b}, more commonly described by {1}, {-1}, {i,-i}, {j,-j} and {k,-k}. In any case, all subgroups are normal. ∎

By way of converseMathworldPlanetmath it can be shown that the only finite Hamiltonian groups are AQ8 where A is abelian without an element of order 4. One sees already in 4Q8 that the subgroup (1,i) is conjugate to the distinct subgroup (1,-i) and so such groups are not Hamiltonian.

Proposition 3.
  1. 1.

    |ai|=2n/i for 1<i2n and |aib|=4 for all i.

  2. 2.

    Every subgroup of Q4n is either cyclic or a generalized quaternion.

  3. 3.

    The normal subgroups of Q4n are either subgroups of a or n=2i and it is maximal subgroups (of index 2) of which there are 2 acyclic ones.

Proof.

The order of elements of a follows from standard cyclic groupMathworldPlanetmath theory. Now for aib we simply compute: (aib)2=aibaib=aia-ib2=b2. So |aib|=4.

Now let H be a subgroup of Q4n. If Z(Q4n)H then H/Z(Q4n) is a subgroup of D2n. We know the subgroups of D2n are either cyclic or dihedral. If H/Z(Q4n) is cyclic then H is cyclic (indeed it is a subgroup of a or H=aib). So assume that H/Z(Q4n) is dihedral. Then we have a dihedral presentation x,y:xm=1,y2=1,y-1xy=x-1 for H/Z(Q4n). Now pullback this presentation to H and we find H is quaternion.

Finally, if H does not contain Z(Q4n) then H does not contain an element of the form aib, so Ha and so it is cyclic.

For the normal subgroup structureMathworldPlanetmath, from the relation b-1ab=a-1 we see a is normal. Thus all subgroups of a are normal as a is a normal cyclic subgroup. Next suppose H is a normal subgroup not contained in a. Then H contains some aib, and so H contains Z(Q4n). Thus H/Z(Q4n) is a normal subgroup of D2n. We know this forces H/Z(Q4n) to be contained in a/Z(Q4n), a contradictionMathworldPlanetmathPlanetmath on our assumptionsPlanetmathPlanetmath on H, or n=2i and H/Z(Q4n) is a maximal subgroup (of index 2). ∎

Proposition 4.

Q4n has a unique minimal subgroup if and only if n=2i.

Proof.

If p|n and p>2 then a2n/p has order p and so the subgroup a2n/p is of order p, so it is minimal. As the center is also a minimal subgroup of order 2, then we do not have a unique minimal subgroup in these conditions. Thus n=2i.

Now suppose n=2i then Q4n is a 2-group so the minimal subgroups must all be of order 2. So we locate the elements of order 2. We have shown |aib|=4 for any i, and furthermore that (aib)2=b2=an. The only other minimal subgroups will be generated by ai for some i, and as |a|=2i+1 there is a unique minimal subgroup. ∎

It can also be shown that any finite groupMathworldPlanetmath with a unique minimal subgroup is either cyclic of prime power order, or Q4n for some n=2i. We note that these groups have only regularPlanetmathPlanetmathPlanetmath faithful representationsMathworldPlanetmath.

Title generalized quaternion group
Canonical name GeneralizedQuaternionGroup
Date of creation 2013-03-22 16:27:41
Last modified on 2013-03-22 16:27:41
Owner Algeboy (12884)
Last modified by Algeboy (12884)
Numerical id 7
Author Algeboy (12884)
Entry type Derivation
Classification msc 20A99
Synonym quaternion groups
Related topic DihedralGroupProperties
Defines generalized quaternion