Center (group theory)

In abstract algebra, the center of a group, G, is the set of elements that commute with every element of G. It is denoted Z(G), from German Zentrum, meaning center. In set-builder notation,

Z(G) = {zG | ∀gG, zg = gz}.

Cayley table for D4 showing elements of the center, {e, a2}, commute with all other elements (this can be seen by noticing that all occurrences of a given center element are arranged symmetrically about the center diagonal or by noticing that the row and column starting with a given center element are transposes of each other).
ebaa2a3aba2ba3b
e ebaa2a3aba2ba3b
b bea3ba2baba3a2a
a aaba2a3ea2ba3bb
a2 a2a2ba3eaa3bbab
a3 a3 a3beaa2baba2b
ab ababa3ba2bea3a2
a2b a2ba2abba3baea3
a3b a3ba3a2babba2ae

The center is a normal subgroup, Z(G) ⊲ G. As a subgroup, it is always characteristic, but is not necessarily fully characteristic. The quotient group, G / Z(G), is isomorphic to the inner automorphism group, Inn(G).

A group G is abelian if and only if Z(G) = G. At the other extreme, a group is said to be centerless if Z(G) is trivial; i.e., consists only of the identity element.

The elements of the center are sometimes called central.

As a subgroup

The center of G is always a subgroup of G. In particular:

  1. Z(G) contains the identity element of G, because it commutes with every element of g, by definition: eg = g = ge, where e is the identity;
  2. If x and y are in Z(G), then so is xy, by associativity: (xy)g = x(yg) = x(gy) = (xg)y = (gx)y = g(xy) for each gG; i.e., Z(G) is closed;
  3. If x is in Z(G), then so is x−1 as, for all g in G, x−1 commutes with g: (gx = xg) ⇒ (x−1gxx−1 = x−1xgx−1) ⇒ (x−1g = gx−1).

Furthermore, the center of G is always an abelian and normal subgroup of G. Since all elements of Z(G) commute, it is closed under conjugation.

Note that a homomorphism f: GH between groups generally does not restrict to a homomorphism between their centers. Although f (Z (G)) commutes with f ( G ), unless f is surjective f (Z (G)) need not commute with all of H and therefore need not be a subset of Z ( H ). Put another way, there is no "center" functor between categories Grp and Ab. Even though we can map objects, we cannot map arrows.

Conjugacy classes and centralizers

By definition, the center is the set of elements for which the conjugacy class of each element is the element itself; i.e., Cl(g) = {g}.

The center is also the intersection of all the centralizers of each element of G. As centralizers are subgroups, this again shows that the center is a subgroup.

Conjugation

Consider the map, f: G → Aut(G), from G to the automorphism group of G defined by f(g) = ϕg, where ϕg is the automorphism of G defined by

f(g)(h) = ϕg(h) = ghg−1.

The function, f is a group homomorphism, and its kernel is precisely the center of G, and its image is called the inner automorphism group of G, denoted Inn(G). By the first isomorphism theorem we get,

G/Z(G) ≃ Inn(G).

The cokernel of this map is the group Out(G) of outer automorphisms, and these form the exact sequence

1 ⟶ Z(G) ⟶ G ⟶ Aut(G) ⟶ Out(G) ⟶ 1.

Examples

  • The center of an abelian group, G, is all of G.
  • The center of the Heisenberg group, H, is the set of matrices of the form:
  • The center of a nonabelian simple group is trivial.
  • The center of the dihedral group, Dn, is trivial for odd n ≥ 3. For even n ≥ 4, the center consists of the identity element together with the 180° rotation of the polygon.
  • The center of the quaternion group, Q8 = {1, −1, i, −i, j, −j, k, −k}, is {1, −1}.
  • The center of the symmetric group, Sn, is trivial for n ≥ 3.
  • The center of the alternating group, An, is trivial for n ≥ 4.
  • The center of the general linear group over a field F, GLn(F), is the collection of scalar matrices, { sIn ∣ s ∈ F \ {0} }.
  • The center of the orthogonal group, On(F) is {In, −In}.
  • The center of the special orthogonal group, SO(n) is the whole group when n = 2, and otherwise {In, −In} when n is even, and trivial when n is odd.
  • The center of the unitary group, is .
  • The center of the special unitary group, is .
  • The center of the multiplicative group of non-zero quaternions is the multiplicative group of non-zero real numbers.
  • Using the class equation, one can prove that the center of any non-trivial finite p-group is non-trivial.
  • If the quotient group G/Z(G) is cyclic, G is abelian (and hence G = Z(G), so G/Z(G) is trivial).
  • The center of the Rubik's Cube group consists of two elements – the identity (i.e. the solved state) and the superflip. The center of the Pocket Cube group is trivial.
  • The center of the Megaminx group has order 2, and the center of the Kilominx group is trivial.

Higher centers

Quotienting out by the center of a group yields a sequence of groups called the upper central series:

(G0 = G) ⟶ (G1 = G0/Z(G0)) ⟶ (G2 = G1/Z(G1)) ⟶ ⋯

The kernel of the map GGi is the ith center[1] of G (second center, third center, etc.) and is denoted Zi(G).[2] Concretely, the (i + 1)-st center are the terms that commute with all elements up to an element of the ith center. Following this definition, one can define the 0th center of a group to be the identity subgroup. This can be continued to transfinite ordinals by transfinite induction; the union of all the higher centers is called the hypercenter.[note 1]

The ascending chain of subgroups

1 ≤ Z(G) ≤ Z2(G) ≤ ⋯

stabilizes at i (equivalently, Zi(G) = Zi+1(G)) if and only if Gi is centerless.

Examples

  • For a centerless group, all higher centers are zero, which is the case Z0(G) = Z1(G) of stabilization.
  • By Grün's lemma, the quotient of a perfect group by its center is centerless, hence all higher centers equal the center. This is a case of stabilization at Z1(G) = Z2(G).

See also

Notes

  1. This union will include transfinite terms if the UCS does not stabilize at a finite stage.

References

  • Fraleigh, John B. (2014). A First Course in Abstract Algebra (7 ed.). Pearson. ISBN 978-1-292-02496-7.
  1. Ellis, Graham (February 1, 1998). "On groups with a finite nilpotent upper central quotient". Archiv der Mathematik. 70 (2): 89–96. doi:10.1007/s000130050169. ISSN 1420-8938.
  2. Ellis, Graham (February 1, 1998). "On groups with a finite nilpotent upper central quotient". Archiv der Mathematik. 70 (2): 89–96. doi:10.1007/s000130050169. ISSN 1420-8938.
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