The
indefinite orthogonal group O(1,
n), also called the (
n+1)-dimensional
Lorentz group, is the
Lie group of
real (
n+1)×(
n+1)
matrices which preserve the Minkowski bilinear form. In a different language, it is the group of linear
isometries of the
Minkowski space. In particular, this group preserves the hyperboloid
S. Recall that indefinite orthogonal groups have four connected components, corresponding to reversing or preserving the orientation on each subspace (here 1-dimensional and
n-dimensional), and form a
Klein four-group. The subgroup of O(1,
n) that preserves the sign of the first coordinate is the
orthochronous Lorentz group, denoted O+(1,
n), and has two components, corresponding to preserving or reversing the orientation of the spatial subspace. Its subgroup SO+(1,
n) consisting of matrices with
determinant one is a connected Lie group of dimension
n(
n+1)/2 which acts on
S+ by linear automorphisms and preserves the hyperbolic distance. This action is transitive and the stabilizer of the vector (1,0,...,0) consists of the matrices of the form :\begin{pmatrix} 1 & 0 & \ldots & 0 \\ 0 & & & \\[-4mu] \vdots & & A & \\ 0 & & & \\ \end{pmatrix} Where A belongs to the compact
special orthogonal group SO(
n) (generalizing the
rotation group SO(3) for ). It follows that the
n-dimensional
hyperbolic space can be exhibited as the
homogeneous space and a
Riemannian symmetric space of rank 1, : \mathbb{H}^n=\mathrm{SO}^{+}(1,n)/\mathrm{SO}(n). The group SO+(1,
n) is the full group of orientation-preserving isometries of the
n-dimensional hyperbolic space. In more concrete terms, SO+(1,
n) can be split into
n(
n−1)/2 rotations (formed with a regular Euclidean
rotation matrix in the lower-right block) and
n hyperbolic translations, which take the form :\begin{pmatrix} \cosh \alpha & \sinh \alpha & 0 & \cdots \\[2mu] \sinh \alpha & \cosh \alpha & 0 & \cdots \\[2mu] 0 & 0 & 1 & \\[-7mu] \vdots & \vdots & & \ddots \\ \end{pmatrix} where \alpha is the distance translated (along the
x-axis in this case), and the 2nd row/column can be exchanged with a different pair to change to a translation along a different axis. The general form of a translation in 3 dimensions along the vector (w, x, y, z) is: :\begin{pmatrix} w & x & y & z \\[2mu] x & \ \dfrac{x^2}{w+1}+1 & \dfrac{yx}{w+1} & \dfrac{zx}{w+1} \\[2mu] y & \dfrac{xy}{w+1} & \,\dfrac{y^2}{w+1}+1 & \dfrac{zy}{w+1} \\[2mu] z & \dfrac{xz}{w+1} & \dfrac{yz}{w+1} & \dfrac{z^2}{w+1}+1 \end{pmatrix}_{\vphantom|}, where {{tmath|1=\textstyle w = \sqrt{x^2+y^2+z^2+1} }}. This extends naturally to more dimensions, and is also the simplified version of a
Lorentz boost when you remove the relativity-specific terms.
Examples of groups of isometries The group of all isometries of the hyperboloid model is O+(1,
n). Any group of isometries is a subgroup of it.
Reflections For two points \mathbf p, \mathbf q \in \mathbb{H}^n, \mathbf p \neq \mathbf q, there is a unique reflection exchanging them. Let \mathbf u = \frac {\mathbf p - \mathbf q}{\sqrt{Q(\mathbf p - \mathbf q)}}. Note that Q(\mathbf u) = 1, and therefore u \notin \mathbb{H}^n. Then :\mathbf x \mapsto \mathbf x - 2 B(\mathbf x, \mathbf u) \mathbf u is a reflection that exchanges \mathbf p and \mathbf q. This is equivalent to the following matrix: :R = I - 2 \mathbf u \mathbf u^{\operatorname{T}} \begin{pmatrix} -1 & 0 \\ 0 & I \\ \end{pmatrix} (note the use of
block matrix notation). Then \{I, R\} is a group of isometries. All such subgroups are
conjugate.
Rotations and reflections :S = \left \{ \begin{pmatrix} 1 & 0 \\ 0 & A \\ \end{pmatrix} : A \in O(n) \right \} is the group of rotations and reflections that preserve (1, 0, \dots, 0). The function A \mapsto \begin{pmatrix} 1 & 0 \\ 0 & A \\ \end{pmatrix} is an
isomorphism from
O(n) to this group. For any point p, if X is an isometry that maps (1, 0, \dots, 0) to p, then XSX^{-1} is the group of rotations and reflections that preserve p.
Translations For any real number t, there is a translation :L_t = \begin{pmatrix} \cosh t & \sinh t & 0 \\ \sinh t & \cosh t & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & I \\ \end{pmatrix} = e^\begin{pmatrix} 0 & t & 0 \\ t & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & 0 \\ \end{pmatrix} (The expression on the RHS is a
matrix exponential.) This is a translation of distance t in the positive x direction if t \ge 0 or of distance -t in the negative x direction if t \le 0. Any translation of distance t is conjugate to L_t and L_{-t}. The set \left \{L_t : t \in \mathbb R \right \} is the group of translations through the x-axis, and a group of isometries is conjugate to it
if and only if it is a group of isometries through a line. For example, let's say we want to find the group of translations through a line \overline{\mathbf p \mathbf q}. Let X be an isometry that maps (1, 0, \dots, 0) to p and let Y be an isometry that fixes p and maps X L_{d(\mathbf p, \mathbf q)} [1, 0, \dots, 0]^{\operatorname{T}} to q. An example of such a Y is a reflection exchanging X L_{d(\mathbf p, \mathbf q)} [1, 0, \dots, 0]^{\operatorname{T}} and q (assuming they are different), because they are both the same distance from p. Then YX is an isometry mapping (1, 0, \dots, 0) to p and a point on the positive x-axis to q. (YX)L_t(YX)^{-1} is a translation through the line \overline{\mathbf p \mathbf q} of distance |t|. If t \ge 0, it is in the \overrightarrow{\mathbf p \mathbf q} direction. If t \le 0, it is in the \overrightarrow{\mathbf q \mathbf p} direction. \left \{(YX)L_t(YX)^{-1} : t \in \mathbb R \right \} is the group of translations through \overline{\mathbf p \mathbf q}.
Symmetries of horospheres Let
H be some
horosphere such that points of the form (w, x, 0, \dots, 0) are inside of it for arbitrarily large
x. For any vector
b in \mathbb R^{n-1} :\begin{pmatrix} 1 + \tfrac12 \|\mathbf b\|^2 & - \tfrac12 \|\mathbf b\|^2 & \mathbf b^{\operatorname{T}} \\ \tfrac12 \|\mathbf b\|^2 & 1 - \tfrac12 \|\mathbf b\|^2 & \mathbf b^{\operatorname{T}} \\ \mathbf b & -\mathbf b & I \end{pmatrix} = e^\begin{pmatrix} 0 & 0 & \mathbf b^{\operatorname{T}} \\ 0 & 0 & \mathbf b^{\operatorname{T}} \\ \mathbf b & -\mathbf b & 0 \end{pmatrix} is a hororotation that maps
H to itself. The set of such hororotations is the group of hororotations preserving
H. All hororotations are conjugate to each other. For any A in O(
n−1) :\begin{pmatrix} 1 & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & 1 & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & A \\ \end{pmatrix} is a rotation or reflection that preserves
H and the x-axis. These hororotations, rotations, and reflections generate the group of symmetries of
H. The symmetry group of any horosphere is conjugate to it. They are isomorphic to the
Euclidean group E(
n−1). ==History==