Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2024 / Paper 2 / 10 / c

Distinguish the quaternion group generators $\mathbf{i},\mathbf{j},\mathbf{k}$ from the complex scalar $i$. Denote their proposed image matrices byDirect multiplication givesFor example $AB=\mathrm{diag}(i,-i)=C$ and $ABC=C^2=-I_2$. Sending $I$ to $I_2$ and each negative quaternion element to the negative of its positive image now reproduces every quaternion product. The matrices all have determinant one and are invertible, so this is a group representation in $GL(2,\mathbb{C})$.

The eight matrices $\pm I_2,\pm A,\pm B,\pm C$ are distinct. Therefore the group homomorphism is injective, and the representation is faithful; equivalently its kernel is $\{I\}$.

The character of a representation is the trace of its representing matrix. ConsequentlyThese are constant on the five conjugacy classes $\{I\}$, $\{-I\}$, $\{\pm \mathbf{i}\}$, $\{\pm \mathbf{j}\}$, $\{\pm \mathbf{k}\}$.

The complete list of subgroups isTo see completeness, Lagrange's theorem allows only orders $1,2,4,8$. The only element of order two is $-I$, which fixes the order-two subgroup. Every noncentral element has order four and generates the corresponding listed cyclic subgroup. Any order-four subgroup contains such an element, because there are only two central elements; it must equal the cyclic subgroup generated by that element. This accounts for all possibilities.