Isomorphism between the Clifford group and the quaternions











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How do I find an explicit isomorphism between the elements of the Clifford group and some 24 quaternions?



The easy part:
The multiplication of matrices should correspond to multiplication of quaternions.



The identity matrix $I$ should be mapped to the quaternion $1$.



The hard part:
To what should the other elements of the Clifford group be mapped? Since the following to elements generate the entire group, mapping these will be sufficient:



$$H=frac{1}{sqrt{2}}begin{bmatrix}1&1\1&-1end{bmatrix}text{ and }P=begin{bmatrix}1&0\0&iend{bmatrix}$$



Can anybody help?










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    How do I find an explicit isomorphism between the elements of the Clifford group and some 24 quaternions?



    The easy part:
    The multiplication of matrices should correspond to multiplication of quaternions.



    The identity matrix $I$ should be mapped to the quaternion $1$.



    The hard part:
    To what should the other elements of the Clifford group be mapped? Since the following to elements generate the entire group, mapping these will be sufficient:



    $$H=frac{1}{sqrt{2}}begin{bmatrix}1&1\1&-1end{bmatrix}text{ and }P=begin{bmatrix}1&0\0&iend{bmatrix}$$



    Can anybody help?










    share|improve this question







    New contributor




    Knot Log is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.






















      up vote
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      down vote

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      How do I find an explicit isomorphism between the elements of the Clifford group and some 24 quaternions?



      The easy part:
      The multiplication of matrices should correspond to multiplication of quaternions.



      The identity matrix $I$ should be mapped to the quaternion $1$.



      The hard part:
      To what should the other elements of the Clifford group be mapped? Since the following to elements generate the entire group, mapping these will be sufficient:



      $$H=frac{1}{sqrt{2}}begin{bmatrix}1&1\1&-1end{bmatrix}text{ and }P=begin{bmatrix}1&0\0&iend{bmatrix}$$



      Can anybody help?










      share|improve this question







      New contributor




      Knot Log is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.











      How do I find an explicit isomorphism between the elements of the Clifford group and some 24 quaternions?



      The easy part:
      The multiplication of matrices should correspond to multiplication of quaternions.



      The identity matrix $I$ should be mapped to the quaternion $1$.



      The hard part:
      To what should the other elements of the Clifford group be mapped? Since the following to elements generate the entire group, mapping these will be sufficient:



      $$H=frac{1}{sqrt{2}}begin{bmatrix}1&1\1&-1end{bmatrix}text{ and }P=begin{bmatrix}1&0\0&iend{bmatrix}$$



      Can anybody help?







      clifford-group






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          1 Answer
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          The quaternions are represented faithfully in two dimensions by the unit matrix and the Pauli matrices $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ respectively, thus you only need to write $H$ and $P$ as linear combinations Pauli matrices, which I presume you know how to do.



          However, this is not an isomorphism between the Clifford group and the quaternions, because here we use the quaternions as an algebra not a group. What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra.



          The term Quaternion group is reserved to another subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra consisting of $pm 1$, $pm (-iX = R_x(pi))$, $pm (-iY = R_y(pi))$ and $pm (-iZ = R_z(pi))$. This group is called the quaternion group. This group can be generated by $pi$ rotations around two major axes. However, the order-8 quaternion group is not isomorphic to the order-24 Clifford group, which can be generated by $frac{pi}{2}$ rotations around two major axes. The Clifford group is in a certain sense the square root of the quaternion group.






          share|improve this answer





















          • Thank you for your clarification on the Clifford group / Clifford algebra / quaternions / quaternion group. You stated my question as "What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra." Do you have an idea of how to determine these quaternions?
            – Knot Log
            3 hours ago










          • Yes, for example, you can write, by inspection: $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(X+Z)$, then you can use the quaternion notation if you wish and write $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(i+k)$, you can do a similar exercise and express $P$ as a linear combination of $1$ and $Z$.
            – David Bar Moshe
            3 hours ago











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          up vote
          3
          down vote













          The quaternions are represented faithfully in two dimensions by the unit matrix and the Pauli matrices $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ respectively, thus you only need to write $H$ and $P$ as linear combinations Pauli matrices, which I presume you know how to do.



          However, this is not an isomorphism between the Clifford group and the quaternions, because here we use the quaternions as an algebra not a group. What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra.



          The term Quaternion group is reserved to another subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra consisting of $pm 1$, $pm (-iX = R_x(pi))$, $pm (-iY = R_y(pi))$ and $pm (-iZ = R_z(pi))$. This group is called the quaternion group. This group can be generated by $pi$ rotations around two major axes. However, the order-8 quaternion group is not isomorphic to the order-24 Clifford group, which can be generated by $frac{pi}{2}$ rotations around two major axes. The Clifford group is in a certain sense the square root of the quaternion group.






          share|improve this answer





















          • Thank you for your clarification on the Clifford group / Clifford algebra / quaternions / quaternion group. You stated my question as "What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra." Do you have an idea of how to determine these quaternions?
            – Knot Log
            3 hours ago










          • Yes, for example, you can write, by inspection: $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(X+Z)$, then you can use the quaternion notation if you wish and write $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(i+k)$, you can do a similar exercise and express $P$ as a linear combination of $1$ and $Z$.
            – David Bar Moshe
            3 hours ago















          up vote
          3
          down vote













          The quaternions are represented faithfully in two dimensions by the unit matrix and the Pauli matrices $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ respectively, thus you only need to write $H$ and $P$ as linear combinations Pauli matrices, which I presume you know how to do.



          However, this is not an isomorphism between the Clifford group and the quaternions, because here we use the quaternions as an algebra not a group. What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra.



          The term Quaternion group is reserved to another subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra consisting of $pm 1$, $pm (-iX = R_x(pi))$, $pm (-iY = R_y(pi))$ and $pm (-iZ = R_z(pi))$. This group is called the quaternion group. This group can be generated by $pi$ rotations around two major axes. However, the order-8 quaternion group is not isomorphic to the order-24 Clifford group, which can be generated by $frac{pi}{2}$ rotations around two major axes. The Clifford group is in a certain sense the square root of the quaternion group.






          share|improve this answer





















          • Thank you for your clarification on the Clifford group / Clifford algebra / quaternions / quaternion group. You stated my question as "What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra." Do you have an idea of how to determine these quaternions?
            – Knot Log
            3 hours ago










          • Yes, for example, you can write, by inspection: $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(X+Z)$, then you can use the quaternion notation if you wish and write $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(i+k)$, you can do a similar exercise and express $P$ as a linear combination of $1$ and $Z$.
            – David Bar Moshe
            3 hours ago













          up vote
          3
          down vote










          up vote
          3
          down vote









          The quaternions are represented faithfully in two dimensions by the unit matrix and the Pauli matrices $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ respectively, thus you only need to write $H$ and $P$ as linear combinations Pauli matrices, which I presume you know how to do.



          However, this is not an isomorphism between the Clifford group and the quaternions, because here we use the quaternions as an algebra not a group. What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra.



          The term Quaternion group is reserved to another subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra consisting of $pm 1$, $pm (-iX = R_x(pi))$, $pm (-iY = R_y(pi))$ and $pm (-iZ = R_z(pi))$. This group is called the quaternion group. This group can be generated by $pi$ rotations around two major axes. However, the order-8 quaternion group is not isomorphic to the order-24 Clifford group, which can be generated by $frac{pi}{2}$ rotations around two major axes. The Clifford group is in a certain sense the square root of the quaternion group.






          share|improve this answer












          The quaternions are represented faithfully in two dimensions by the unit matrix and the Pauli matrices $X$, $Y$ and $Z$ respectively, thus you only need to write $H$ and $P$ as linear combinations Pauli matrices, which I presume you know how to do.



          However, this is not an isomorphism between the Clifford group and the quaternions, because here we use the quaternions as an algebra not a group. What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra.



          The term Quaternion group is reserved to another subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra consisting of $pm 1$, $pm (-iX = R_x(pi))$, $pm (-iY = R_y(pi))$ and $pm (-iZ = R_z(pi))$. This group is called the quaternion group. This group can be generated by $pi$ rotations around two major axes. However, the order-8 quaternion group is not isomorphic to the order-24 Clifford group, which can be generated by $frac{pi}{2}$ rotations around two major axes. The Clifford group is in a certain sense the square root of the quaternion group.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 4 hours ago









          David Bar Moshe

          9196




          9196












          • Thank you for your clarification on the Clifford group / Clifford algebra / quaternions / quaternion group. You stated my question as "What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra." Do you have an idea of how to determine these quaternions?
            – Knot Log
            3 hours ago










          • Yes, for example, you can write, by inspection: $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(X+Z)$, then you can use the quaternion notation if you wish and write $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(i+k)$, you can do a similar exercise and express $P$ as a linear combination of $1$ and $Z$.
            – David Bar Moshe
            3 hours ago


















          • Thank you for your clarification on the Clifford group / Clifford algebra / quaternions / quaternion group. You stated my question as "What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra." Do you have an idea of how to determine these quaternions?
            – Knot Log
            3 hours ago










          • Yes, for example, you can write, by inspection: $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(X+Z)$, then you can use the quaternion notation if you wish and write $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(i+k)$, you can do a similar exercise and express $P$ as a linear combination of $1$ and $Z$.
            – David Bar Moshe
            3 hours ago
















          Thank you for your clarification on the Clifford group / Clifford algebra / quaternions / quaternion group. You stated my question as "What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra." Do you have an idea of how to determine these quaternions?
          – Knot Log
          3 hours ago




          Thank you for your clarification on the Clifford group / Clifford algebra / quaternions / quaternion group. You stated my question as "What can be said that the Clifford group is isomorphic to a subgroup of invertible elements of the quaternion algebra." Do you have an idea of how to determine these quaternions?
          – Knot Log
          3 hours ago












          Yes, for example, you can write, by inspection: $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(X+Z)$, then you can use the quaternion notation if you wish and write $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(i+k)$, you can do a similar exercise and express $P$ as a linear combination of $1$ and $Z$.
          – David Bar Moshe
          3 hours ago




          Yes, for example, you can write, by inspection: $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(X+Z)$, then you can use the quaternion notation if you wish and write $H = frac{1}{sqrt{2}}(i+k)$, you can do a similar exercise and express $P$ as a linear combination of $1$ and $Z$.
          – David Bar Moshe
          3 hours ago










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