Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2006 / iii / Paper 64 / 5 / a / Solution

Identify ${\mathbb{R}}^4$ with the quaternions, and use the identification of unit quaternions with $SU(2)$ proved in the root Solution. The actionpreserves the Euclidean norm by multiplicativity of quaternion norms. It is a homomorphism $SU(2)\times SU(2)\to SO(4)$: its domain is connected, so the orthogonal image has determinant $+1$.

An element in the kernel fixes $v=1$, giving $q_L=q_R=q$. Fixing every other $v$ means $q$ commutes with all quaternions, so $q$ is real; since it has unit norm, $q=\pm 1$. Hence the kernel is the diagonal subgroup $\{(1,1),(-1,-1)\}$.

The differential acts as $v\mapsto av-vb$ for imaginary quaternions $a,b$. If it vanishes, $v=1$ gives $a=b$, and commutation with all $v$ makes $a$ real and imaginary, hence zero. The differential is injective, and both Lie algebras have dimension six. The image is therefore an open subgroup of connected $SO(4)$, hence all of $SO(4)$. Thuswhere ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$ acts diagonally, not separately on the two factors.