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The two Lie groups have the same local infinitesimal structure, but different global topology. This difference determines which Lie algebra representations integrate to representations of each group.

An element of the SU(2) group is a unitary matrix of determinant one. Orthogonality of its columns and its determinant give the unique formThus its group manifold is the unit three-sphere in ${\mathbb{C}}^2\simeq {\mathbb{R}}^4$: this is SU(2) as the three-sphere. In particular it is compact, connected and simply connected. In terms of the Pauli matrices one may also write $U=a_{0}I-i\mathbf{a}\cdot \mathbf{\sigma }$ with real coefficients satisfying $a_0^2+{\mathbf{a}}^2=1$.

Differentiate $U(t{)}^{†}U(t)=I$ and $\det U(t)=1$ at $U(0)=I$. The tangent space consists of traceless skew-Hermitian matrices:The Lie bracket of a Matrix Lie group is the matrix commutator. With $T_a=-i{\sigma }_a/2$, the Pauli matrix multiplication law givesThis derives the SU(2) Lie algebra as a three-dimensional real Lie algebra. The Hermitian physics generators $J_a={\sigma }_a/2$ instead obey $[J_a,J_b]=i{ϵ}_{abc}{J}_c$; they are $i$ times the skew-Hermitian tangent generators, so these are consistent conventions.

The SO(3) group consists of real orthogonal matrices with determinant one. Differentiating $R(t{)}^{T}R(t)=I$ at the identity givesThe determinant condition gives no additional infinitesimal constraint because a skew-symmetric matrix already has trace zero. Define $L_a\mathbf{v}={\mathbf{e}}_a\times \mathbf{v}$. The cross product identity impliesTherefore the SO(3) Lie algebra has the same structure constants and $T_a\mapsto L_a$ is a Lie algebra isomorphism.

The global relation is the Adjoint double cover from SU(2) to SO(3). For $V=\mathbf{v}\cdot \mathbf{\sigma }$, define $R(U)$ byConjugation preserves the real space of traceless Hermitian matrices and its inner product $\frac{1}{2}\mathrm{tr}(VW)=\mathbf{v}\cdot \mathbf{w}$. Hence $R(U)$ is orthogonal. Continuity and connectedness, together with $R(I)=I$, put it in $SO(3)$. Composition of conjugations makes $R$ a group homomorphism. If $R(U)=I$, then $U$ commutes with every Pauli matrix, hence is scalar; unitarity and determinant one leave precisely $U=\pm I$. The differential sends $T_a$ to $L_a$, so it is an isomorphism. More concretely,induces rotation through angle $\theta$ about $\mathbf{n}$, by the Rodrigues rotation formula. Every three-dimensional rotation has such an axis and angle, proving surjectivity. ConsequentlyThe matrices $U$ and $-U$ are antipodal points on the three-sphere, so the SO(3) group manifold is Real projective space ${\mathbb{RP}}^3$. Equivalently, the closed axis-angle ball $\Vert \theta \mathbf{n}\Vert \le \pi$ has opposite boundary points identified. The fundamental group is ${\pi }_1(SO(3))\simeq {\mathbb{Z}}_2$, whereas ${\pi }_1(SU(2))=0$. A $2\pi$ rotation lifts from $I$ to $-I$; a $4\pi$ rotation returns to $I$. Thus the covering is the universal cover and the groups are not globally isomorphic.

For representation theory, specify finite-dimensional complex continuous representations. Compactness permits an invariant Hermitian inner product, obtained by averaging against Haar measure, and therefore complete reducibility. Complexifying either real Lie algebra gives the sl2 Lie algebra. Its finite-dimensional irreducibles are indexed by $n\in {\mathbb{Z}}_{\ge 0}$, have highest weight $n$, and have dimension $n+1$. By integration of a Lie-algebra representation, since $SU(2)$ is simply connected, every such Lie algebra representation integrates uniquely. The resulting homogeneous polynomial representation of SU2 isIn the spin angular momentum notation $j=n/2$, its Hermitian $J_3$ eigenvalues are $j,j-1,\dots ,-j$. The central matrix $-I$ acts on the symmetric power by $(-1{)}^n$, so descent of an SU(2) representation to SO(3) occurs exactly when $n$ is even. HenceFor a reducible representation, every summand must satisfy the descent condition. The spin-one-half doublet is a genuine representation of the covering group but does not define a single-valued representation of $SO(3)$; the spin-one triplet does and is its vector representation. The distinction is topological, rather than a difference in their isomorphic Lie algebras.

The scalar potential can be written asIts vacuum manifold is the sphere ${\varphi }_a{\varphi }_a=v^2$. The Adjoint double cover from SU(2) to SO(3) rotates any nonzero vacuum expectation value to $(0,0,v)$, with $v>0$. A local unitary gauge removes the two angular fluctuations, leaving $\varphi =(0,0,v+\eta )$. This choice holds in a neighbourhood of the nonzero vacuum; a single global rotation cannot align arbitrary position-dependent fields, and topologically nontrivial configurations can obstruct a global unitary gauge.

The generator $t^3$ fixes the vacuum expectation value, while $t^1,t^2$ do not. Thus the Higgs mechanism in this SU(2) gauge theory with an adjoint Higgs field givesThe two angular Goldstone bosons become the longitudinal polarizations of two massive gauge bosons. Define physical fieldsThese labels describe the fields of this model; they do not identify it with the Standard Model. With the stated adjoint covariant derivative,To express all Yang-Mills theory terms in physical fields, introduce the gauge field strengthsThen $F_{\mu \nu }^3=f_{\mu \nu }+ig{Q}_{\mu \nu }$ and $(F_{\mu \nu }^1\mp i{F}_{\mu \nu }^2)/\sqrt{2}={\mathcal{W}}_{\mu \nu }^{\pm }$. Dropping the constant vacuum energy, the Lagrangian density isTaking the positive gauge coupling convention $g>0$, the canonically normalized mass terms giveThe residual U(1) gauge symmetry makes $W^{\pm }$ oppositely charged. The Yang-Mills theory terms supply interactions of $A$ with $W^{\pm }$ and four-vector interactions. The Higgs mode has cubic and quartic self-interactions, together with $2g^{2}v\eta W^{+}\cdot W^{-}$ and $g^2{\eta }^2{W}^{+}\cdot W^{-}$ couplings; it is neutral under the surviving U(1) gauge symmetry.

Coupling fermions permits a massless electromagnetic gauge boson and massive charged mediators of the weak interaction; fermion couplings with chirality can produce parity-violating weak charged currents. However, this model has no massive neutral Z boson, and its only charge generator is $t^3$. A fundamental doublet has opposite charges, so it cannot reproduce the observed doublet charge assignments through an independent hypercharge. The Standard Model instead has $SU(2{)}_L\times U(1{)}_Y\to U(1{)}_Q$, a complex Higgs doublet, three absorbed Goldstone bosons, a massive Z boson and a weak mixing angle.

Because the bilinear form from part (ii) is invariant, $\rho (SU(2))\subseteq O(3)$. The mapis continuous. Since $SU(2)$ is connected and $\det \rho (I_2)=1$, it is identically one. Hence

To find the kernel, suppose $U$ commutes with every traceless skew-Hermitian matrix. Commutation withforces $U$ to be diagonal. Commutation withthen forces its two diagonal entries to agree. Thus $U=z{I}_2$. Since $U\in SU(2)$,and therefore

It remains to prove surjectivity. The derived representation at the identity isIf this vanishes for every $A$ in the SU(2) Lie algebra, the same commutant calculation makes $X$ scalar; tracelessness then gives $X=0$. Thus $d{\rho }_{I_2}$ is injective. Its domain and codomain are both three-dimensional real Lie algebras, so it is an isomorphismThe inverse function theorem now shows that the image of $\rho$ contains a neighbourhood of the identity in $SO(3)$. Therefore the image is an open subgroup. The special orthogonal group $SO(3)$ is connected, since every rotation can be deformed continuously to the identity by reducing its rotation angle. A connected topological group has no proper open subgroup, soTogether with the kernel calculation, this is the Adjoint double cover from SU(2) to SO(3).

The Adjoint double cover from SU(2) to SO(3) has kernel $\{I,-I\}$. Under SU(2) as the three-sphere, multiplication by $-I$ is the antipodal map, so the quotient is Real projective space ${\mathbb{RP}}^3$. Equivalently, an axis-angle ball of radius $\pi$ has opposite boundary points identified. The fundamental group is ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$.

The SO(3) group consists of real three-by-three orthogonal matrices with determinant one. It acts by rotation in three dimensions. Its group manifold is ${\mathbb{RP}}^3$, since the Adjoint double cover from SU(2) to SO(3) identifies antipodal points of the three-sphere.