Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2008 / iii / Paper 9 (Topological Groups)

A topological group is a group with a topology for which multiplication $G\times G\to G$ and inversion $G\to G$ are continuous. A Hausdorff axiom is not built into this definition. For neighbourhood bases ${\mathcal{B}}_x$ at each point, the precise neighbourhood criterion for a topological group isNecessity follows from continuity: the inverse image of a neighbourhood of $xy$ contains a product neighbourhood of $(x,y)$, and the inverse image of a neighbourhood of $x^{-1}$ contains a neighbourhood of $x$. Conversely, these inclusions give exactly those neighbourhood conditions for continuity of multiplication and inversion, since the rectangles $V\times W$ form a basis for the product topology.

An equivalent identity-level formulation is useful. Bases must be obtainable by translation, ${\mathcal{B}}_x=x{\mathcal{B}}_e$, and for every $U\in {\mathcal{B}}_e$ one must haveThese conditions are necessary because translations are homeomorphisms, multiplication is continuous at $(e,e)$, inversion is continuous at $e$, and each conjugation is a homeomorphism. For sufficiency at $(x,y)$, first choose $D$ with $D^2\subseteq U$, then $V$ with $y^{-1}Vy\subseteq D$ and take $W=D$. This gives $(xV)(yW)\subseteq xyU$. For inversion near $x$, first choose $H$ with $xH{x}^{-1}\subseteq U$, then $V$ with $V^{-1}\subseteq H$; thus $(xV{)}^{-1}=x^{-1}(x{V}^{-1}{x}^{-1})\subseteq x^{-1}U$. The pointwise criterion is therefore satisfied everywhere. If Hausdorffness is also required, the additional identity-neighbourhood condition is ${\bigcap }_{U\in {\mathcal{B}}_e}U=\{e\}$: it gives separation of distinct points by translating sufficiently small neighbourhoods.

False. In the additive topological group $\mathbb{R}$, the subgroup $\mathbb{Z}$ is closed: every noninteger has a sufficiently small interval disjoint from it. It is not open, because no neighbourhood of an integer consists only of integers. Thus a closed subgroup need not be an open subgroup.

True. If $H$ is an open subgroup, every left coset $gH$ is open because left translation is a homeomorphism. The other cosets partition the complement:That complement is open, so $H$ is a closed subgroup.

False as a whole: the identity component is normal, but need not be open. Write $G^{\circ }$ for the identity component. The continuous function $(x,y)\mapsto x{y}^{-1}$ maps the connected space $G^{\circ }\times G^{\circ }$ to a connected set containing $e$, hence into $G^{\circ }$. Thus $G^{\circ }$ is a subgroup. Conjugation by any $g$ is a homeomorphism fixing $e$, so it maps $G^{\circ }$ onto itself; therefore it is a normal subgroup. It is also closed, since the closure of a connected set is connected and a connected component is maximal.

For failure of openness, take the additive group $\mathbb{Q}$ with its usual topology. Any two distinct rational numbers can be separated inside $\mathbb{Q}$ by an irrational cut between them, so every connected subset is a singleton. Its identity component is consequently $\{0\}$, which is not open because every neighbourhood of zero contains nonzero rational numbers.

False. The additive group $\mathbb{Q}$ with its usual metric is a Hausdorff space but not a locally compact space. If a compact set were a neighbourhood of zero, it would contain all rationals in some interval $(-ϵ,ϵ)$. Choose an irrational $a$ in that interval and rational numbers $q_n\to a$ in the real line. All sufficiently late $q_n$ would lie in the compact neighbourhood, so a subsequence would converge in $\mathbb{Q}$. Its real limit would have to be $a$, a contradiction.

The other suggested example is the additive Hilbert space ${\ell }^2$. A compact neighbourhood of zero would contain a closed ball of some positive radius $r$. The vectors $r{e}_n$ in that ball have pairwise distance $r\sqrt{2}$, and thus no convergent subsequence. This again contradicts metric compactness. Both examples are topological groups whose operations are continuous, so Hausdorffness cannot supply local compactness.

True. Choose a compact neighbourhood $K$ of the identity in the locally compact group and put $S=K\cup K^{-1}\cup \{e\}$. Inversion is a homeomorphism, so $S$ is compact; it is symmetric and still a neighbourhood of $e$. DefineThe identity belongs to $S$, so these powers are increasing. Symmetry gives $H^{-1}=H$, and $S^m{S}^n=S^{m+n}$ gives closure under multiplication; hence $H$ is a subgroup. Each $S^n$ is compact, being the continuous image of the finite product of compact spaces. Thus $H$ is a sigma-compact space. Finally $S$ contains some open identity neighbourhood $U$, and $H={\bigcup }_{h\in H}hU$ is open. This constructs the required sigma-compact open subgroup of a locally compact group. The argument also works without Hausdorffness if local compactness means possession of compact neighbourhoods.

False. Give the two-element group $C_2$ the indiscrete topology and take $G=\mathbb{R}\times C_2$ with the product topology. The indiscrete factor is a topological group, since every map into an indiscrete space is continuous, and the product group operations are continuous. Points $(0,e)$ and $(0,a)$, $a\ne e$, have identical neighbourhoods, so $G$ is not a Hausdorff space. However, its continuous projection onto $\mathbb{R}$ is surjective. If $G$ were compact, its image $\mathbb{R}$ would be compact, which it is not.

True. Given a compatible left-invariant group metric $d$, definePullback by the bijection $x\mapsto x^{-1}$ preserves all metric axioms, and because inversion is a homeomorphism, $d_R$ induces the same topology. For right translation by $a$, left invariance givesThus $d_R$ is the required compatible right-invariant group metric. No metrizability theorem is needed.

False. On the additive topological group $\mathbb{R}$, put $d(x,y)=|x-y|$ and $d^{\prime }(x,y)=\sqrt{|x-y|}$. Both are invariant under left and right translations and induce the usual topology. The triangle inequality for $d^{\prime }$ follows from $\sqrt{a+b}\le \sqrt{a}+\sqrt{b}$ for $a,b\ge 0$. Butcan be arbitrarily close to zero and arbitrarily large. Consequently no $K>0$ can satisfy both proposed inequalities. Compatibility of the two invariant metrics is topological equivalence, which need not be bilipschitz equivalence.

There is a definitional qualification. If a compactly generated group means a group algebraically generated by a compact subset, the assertion as printed is false. In the usual topology on the additive group $\mathbb{Q}$, the setis compact and generates $\mathbb{Q}$: every positive integer denominator divides some factorial. The group is metrizable, but it has no nonzero Haar measure finite on compact sets. Indeed, translation invariance gives a common singleton mass $a\ge 0$. If $a>0$, the infinite compact set $K$ has infinite mass; if $a=0$, countable additivity gives zero mass to the whole countable group. This proves that compact generation does not imply local compactness or existence of Haar measure.

If the convention includes a compact generating neighbourhood, local compactness is already part of the hypothesis. More explicitly, the standard corrected result is every locally compact, compactly generated metrizable group has Haar measure. Here is a construction, rather than an invocation of that existence theorem.

Fix a nonzero $h\ge 0$ in the space of continuous compactly supported functions $C_c(G)$. For nonzero $u\ge 0$ in $C_c(G)$ and $f\ge 0$ in $C_c(G)$, define the covering number and its normalized functional byThese numbers are finite: translates of the region where $u>0$ cover the compact support of $f$, and a finite subcover, multiplied by a sufficiently large coefficient, dominates $f$. They are positive when $f\ne 0$, since every cover has total coefficient at least $\Vert f{\Vert }_{\infty }/\Vert u{\Vert }_{\infty }$. Composition of covers gives $(f:u)\le (f:h)(h:u)$. Thus, with $M_f=(f:h)$,The functionals are homogeneous, monotone, subadditive and exactly invariant under left translation; the last property follows by relabelling the covering translates.

The key step in Haar measure from normalized covering functionals is asymptotic additivity as $\mathrm{supp}u$ shrinks to $e$. Given $f_1,f_2\ge 0$, put $f=f_1+f_2$ and choose $p\in C_c(G)$ with $p\ge 1$ on both supports. For $\delta >0$, set ${\alpha }_i=f_i/(f+\delta p)$, extended by zero where the denominator vanishes. These are continuous compactly supported functions and ${\alpha }_1+{\alpha }_2\le 1$. For any $\eta >0$, a sufficiently small identity neighbourhood $V$ ensuresTake $\mathrm{supp}u\subseteq V$ and any cover $f\le {\sum }_j{a}_j{T}_{x_j}u$, where $T_{x}u(t)=u(x^{-1}t)$. Since $f_i\le {\alpha }_{i}f+\delta p$, it follows thatAdding and then taking the infimum over the cover of $f$ givesFirst make $\delta$ small, then $\eta$ small, and finally the support of $u$ small enough for the oscillation bound. The additivity defect therefore tends to zero.

Compact generation gives a countable compact cover by finite products of a compact symmetric generating set. Local compactness upgrades this to a compact exhaustion with interiors covering $G$. Metrizability supplies a countable identity-neighbourhood base and a countable family of nonnegative $C_c$ functions dense in the uniform norm on each fixed compact support; this is the countable family whose existence may be assumed. Choose nonzero $u_n\ge 0$ with supports shrinking to $e$. The uniform bounds $I_{u_n}(f)\le M_f$ and a diagonal subsequence give convergence on that countable family. To extend convergence to every nonnegative $f$ supported in a fixed compact $L$, choose a cutoff $p_L\ge 1$ on $L$. Monotonicity and subadditivity givefor $f,g$ supported in $L$. Uniform approximation therefore makes the chosen subsequence Cauchy on every such $f$.

Let $I(f)$ be its limit. Asymptotic additivity, homogeneity and invariance give an additive positive invariant functional on the nonnegative cone, with $I(h)=1$. Extend it by differences to real $C_c(G)$ and then complex linearly. It is bounded on each fixed compact support by the cutoff bound. The Riesz representation on compactly supported continuous functions consequently produces a positive Radon measure $m$ with $I(f)=\int fdm$. Invariance of $I$ and uniqueness of that representation imply $m(xE)=m(E)$. The measure is nonzero because $I(h)=1$, and finite on compact sets by the cutoff estimate. Moreover, for any nonzero $f\ge 0$, composition of covers gives $I_u(f)\ge 1/(h:f)>0$, so every nonempty open set has positive measure. HenceThis completes the intended construction under the convention supplying local compactness, while the rational example settles the weaker literal interpretation.

Use additive notation and fix Haar measure $m$ on $G$. A continuous unitary character is a continuous homomorphism $\chi :G\to \mathbb{T}$. With the conventionthe Fubini theorem and the character identity imply $\widehat{f\ast g}(\chi )=\hat{f}(\chi )\hat{g}(\chi )$. Also $|\hat{f}(\chi )|\le \Vert f{\Vert }_1$, and choosing $f=\chi a$ for a nonzero nonnegative $a\in C_c(G)$ shows that evaluation at $\chi$ is a nonzero functional. Thus each character gives a character of an algebra on the L1 convolution algebra. Here a multiplicative linear functional means a nonzero multiplicative linear functional; the zero functional must be excluded for the claimed bijection.

Conversely, let $\phi$ be such a functional. It is automatically bounded with $|\phi (f)|\le \Vert f{\Vert }_1$: extend it to the unitization of an algebra by $\tilde{\phi }(f+z1)=\phi (f)+z$. If $|z|>\Vert f{\Vert }_1$, the Neumann series makes $z1-f$ invertible, so its image under the unital homomorphism cannot be zero. Hence $\phi (f)$ cannot lie outside the norm disc.

Choose $a\in L^1(G)$ with $\phi (a)\ne 0$, and let $T_{x}a(t)=a(t-x)$. The Abelian translation identities $(T_{x}a)\ast b=a\ast (T_{x}b)$ giveTherefore, defining $c(x)=\phi (T_{x}a)/\phi (a)$, one has $\phi (T_{x}b)=c(x)\phi (b)$ for every $b$. Applying this to two successive translations gives $c(x+y)=c(x)c(y)$ and $c(0)=1$. By translation continuity in Lp on a locally compact group, $c$ is continuous. It is uniformly bounded by $\Vert a{\Vert }_1/|\phi (a)|$; applying this bound to $c(nx)=c(x{)}^n$ for positive and negative integers forces $|c(x)|=1$. Thus $\chi (x)=\overline{c(x)}$ is a continuous unitary character.

The Bochner integral identity $a\ast b={\int }_{G}b(y)T_{y}adm(y)$ holds in $L^1$, since $\Vert T_{y}a{\Vert }_1=\Vert a{\Vert }_1$. Applying the bounded functional yieldsCancel $\phi (a)\ne 0$ to obtain the required correspondenceThe recovery formula $\overline{\chi (x)}=\phi (T_{x}a)/\phi (a)$ proves uniqueness. These functionals have norm exactly one, since $b=\chi a$ with $a\ge 0$ and $\int a=1$ has $\Vert b{\Vert }_1=\phi (b)=1$.

For the topology, identify the Pontryagin dual group with these functionals and give it the Gelfand topology, namely pointwise convergence of $\hat{f}(\chi )$ for every $f\in L^1$. If a net ${\chi }_{\lambda }$ converges to $\gamma$ uniformly on every compact subset of $G$, then for $f\in C_c(G)$,Density of $C_c$ in $L^1$ and the uniform functional norm bound one extend this convergence to every $f\in L^1$.

Conversely, suppose convergence in the Gelfand topology and choose $a$ with $\hat{a}(\gamma )\ne 0$. For compact $K\subseteq G$, the set $\{T_{x}a:x\in K\}$ is compact in $L^1$ by translation continuity in Lp on a locally compact group. Evaluation convergence is uniform on this compact set: a finite $\delta$-net reduces its supremum to finitely many convergent evaluations plus $2\delta$, using the common functional norm one. ThusNow $\widehat{T_{x}a}(\chi )=\overline{\chi (x)}\hat{a}(\chi )$, and $\hat{a}({\chi }_{\lambda })\to \hat{a}(\gamma )\ne 0$. Dividing this identity proves ${\sup }_{x\in K}|{\chi }_{\lambda }(x)-\gamma (x)|\to 0$. Hence the Gelfand topology is exactly the compact-open topology, with the requested neighbourhood basisFor compact $K$, the continuous difference attains its maximum, so this strict pointwise inequality on $K$ is equivalent to a strict uniform bound. Finite intersections contain another such set by taking the union of the compact sets and the minimum of the tolerances.

Fix Haar measure $m_G$ and use $\hat{f}(\chi )={\int }_{G}f(x)\overline{\chi (x)}d{m}_G(x)$. A positive-definite function $p$ satisfies ${\sum }_{i,j}{z}_i\overline{z_j}p(x_i-x_j)\ge 0$ for every finite choice of points and coefficients. The Bochner theorem states that a continuous positive-definite function on a locally compact Hausdorff Abelian group has a unique representationwhere ${\mu }_p$ is a Radon measure. Conversely, any finite positive Radon measure on the Pontryagin dual group has a continuous positive-definite inverse transform. The sign convention here is the one compatible with the displayed Fourier transform.

First note that the dual is a locally compact Hausdorff topological group. Its group operations are continuous in the compact-open topology proved in question 3. For local compactness, adjoin the zero functional to the character space of an algebra of $L^1(G)$. All its elements lie in the closed unit ball of $L^1(G{)}^{\ast }$, and the equations $\phi (a\ast b)=\phi (a)\phi (b)$ define a closed subset in the weak-star topology. The Banach-Alaoglu theorem makes that subset compact Hausdorff. Removing the zero functional gives an open, hence locally compact, subspace. This provides the setting for constructing the measure on the dual, without assuming a Fourier inversion theorem.

Let $u^{\ast }(x)=\overline{u(-x)}$ and let $\mathcal{P}$ be the finite sums of convolution squares $u\ast u^{\ast }$, $u\in C_c(G)$. Each such square is continuous with compact support, and is positive-definite becauseIts transform is $|\hat{u}{|}^2$, so every $p\in \mathcal{P}$ has $\hat{p}\ge 0$. Also $p\ast q\in \mathcal{P}$: convolution of two squares is $(u\ast v)\ast (u\ast v{)}^{\ast }$, and finite sums distribute. Insert the Bochner representation of $q$ into $p\ast q$ and use the Fubini theorem to obtainThe representing measure on the right is finite and positive. Uniqueness in the Bochner theorem and commutativity now give the Bochner consistency identity for convolution squares

For every compact $K\subseteq \hat{G}$ there is $p\in \mathcal{P}$ with $\hat{p}>0$ throughout $K$. Indeed, at any ${\chi }_0$ choose $u={\chi }_{0}a$, where $a\ge 0$ is a nonzero member of $C_c(G)$. Then $\hat{u}({\chi }_0)=\int a>0$, and continuity supplies a neighbourhood where it stays nonzero. A finite subcover of $K$ and the sum of the corresponding squares give such a $p$.

For $\psi \in C_c(\hat{G})$, choose $p$ positive in transform on its support and defineThe quotient is set to zero away from the support; its denominator is bounded away from zero there. If $q$ is another choice, the consistency identity, multiplied by $\psi /(\hat{p}\hat{q})$ on that compact support, shows that the integral is unchanged. Choosing one $p$ for a union of supports proves linearity; positivity follows from positivity of ${\mu }_p$. On each fixed compact support it is bounded by ${\mu }_p(K)/{\min }_K\hat{p}$ times the uniform norm. Moreover, for every $p\in \mathcal{P}$ and $\psi \in C_c(\hat{G})$, choosing $q$ positive on the support of $\psi$ givesA nonzero square has ${\mu }_p(\hat{G})=p(0)=\Vert u{\Vert }_2^2>0$; a suitable nonnegative compactly supported $\psi$ consequently makes this last expression positive. Thus $J$ is nonzero.

To prove translation invariance, fix $\eta \in \hat{G}$ and modulate $p$ by $p_{\eta }(x)=\eta (x)p(x)$. This again belongs to $\mathcal{P}$, since modulation takes $u\ast u^{\ast }$ to $(\eta u)\ast (\eta u{)}^{\ast }$. Direct calculation and Bochner uniqueness giveHence, for ${\psi }_{\eta }(\chi )=\psi ({\eta }^{-1}\chi )$, using $p_{\eta }$ as the denominator function and changing variables gives $J({\psi }_{\eta })=J(\psi )$. The Riesz representation on compactly supported continuous functions now produces a nonzero translation-invariant positive Radon measure $\nu$ on the dual. It is finite on compact sets, so it is Haar measure. This is the compatible dual Haar measure, denoted $m_{\hat{G}}=\nu$.

The identity for $J(\psi \hat{p})$ says, by uniqueness of Radon measures,Thus $\hat{p}\in L^1(\hat{G},\nu )$ and the Bochner representation immediately provesIt also proves the formula for all finite complex linear combinations of these functions. The measure scale is fixed by this identity: at $x=0$, a nonzero square gives $\int |\hat{u}{|}^{2}d\nu =\Vert u{\Vert }_2^2$.

A wider inversion class is $f\in L^1(G)$ with $\hat{f}\in L^1(\hat{G},\nu )$. To prove this extension, choose nonnegative $a_U\in C_c(G)$ with integral one and support in a small identity neighbourhood $U$, and put $p_U=a_U\ast a_U^{\ast }$. These functions form an approximate identity: they are nonnegative, have integral one and support in $U-U$. Also $0\le {\hat{p}}_U=|{\hat{a}}_U{|}^2\le 1$, and ${\hat{p}}_U\to 1$ uniformly on compact subsets of the dual. For this uniform convergence use equicontinuity of compact families of characters: evaluation is jointly continuous, as follows from the translation quotient in question 3, and a finite cover of a compact family gives uniform control near the identity.

Convolving the already established inversion formula for $p_U$ with $f$, the Fubini theorem givesThis is justified by $\Vert f{\Vert }_1{\mu }_{p_U}(\hat{G})<\infty$. Compact-set uniform convergence and an integrable-tail split implyExplicitly, first choose a compact set outside which $\int |\hat{f}|$ is small, use the bound $|{\hat{p}}_U-1|\le 2$ on that tail, and use uniform convergence on the compact remainder. This argument works for neighbourhood-indexed nets, without assuming metrizability. Consequently $f\ast p_U$ converges uniformly to the continuous inverse integral. On the other hand, translation continuity in Lp on a locally compact group gives $f\ast p_U\to f$ in $L^1$; testing these two limits against $C_c(G)$ shows they agree almost everywhere. At every continuity point of the chosen representative of $f$, the shrinking-support approximate identity also converges pointwise to $f(x)$. We obtain Fourier inversion on a locally compact abelian group:valid everywhere for continuous $f\in L^1(G)$ with integrable transform, and in general as equality with a continuous representative almost everywhere. This class includes all convolution squares above, and their linear span.

Finally, for arbitrary $h\in C_c(G)$, apply the inversion formula at zero to $h\ast h^{\ast }$:Thus the integral Fourier transform is linear and norm-preserving on $C_c(G)$. That space is dense in $L^2(G)$, so for $f\in L^2(G)$ choose $h_n\in C_c(G)$ with $h_n\to f$ in $L^2$ and define $\mathcal{F}f$ as the $L^2(\hat{G},\nu )$ limit of ${\hat{h}}_n$. The norm identity makes this limit exist and independent of the approximating sequence, and preserves linearity. This proves the Plancherel theorem for locally compact abelian groups in the requested form:On $L^1\cap L^2$, choose the approximating sequence to converge in both norms; uniform convergence of the integral transforms and their $L^2$ convergence show that this extension agrees almost everywhere with the original transform. For general $L^2$ functions the extension is defined by norm limits, not by presuming that the pointwise integral exists.