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Regard complex matrices as a real vector space of dimension $2n^2$ and Hermitian matrices as a real vector space of dimension $n^2$. Set $F(A)=A{A}^{\ast }$. Its derivative is $D{F}_A(H)=H{A}^{\ast }+A{H}^{\ast }$. At a unitary $A$, any Hermitian $S$ is reached by $H=SA/2$. Hence $I$ is a regular value, and the regular level set theorem makes $\mathrm{U}(n)=F^{-1}(I)$ a smooth real manifold of dimension $\boxed{n^2}$.

The tangent space is the kernel of this derivative. Equivalently,At $I$, therefore, $H$ is skew-Hermitian. The explicit geodesic with initial point $I$ and velocity $H$ is $\gamma (t)=e^{tH}$. The matrix exponential is unitary because $e^{t{H}^{\ast }}{e}^{tH}=I$, and $\dot{\gamma }(0)=H$. Its acceleration is $\gamma H^2$. Since $H^2$ is Hermitian and every tangent vector at $\gamma$ is $\gamma K$ with $K$ skew-Hermitian, the induced real inner product satisfiesIndeed the trace of a Hermitian matrix times a skew-Hermitian matrix is purely imaginary. Its acceleration is therefore always normal to the manifold, which is the geodesic equation for an induced Euclidean metric. Diagonalizing $H=W\mathrm{diag}(i{\lambda }_j)W^{\ast }$ gives the equivalent explicit construction $W\mathrm{diag}(e^{it{\lambda }_j})W^{\ast }$.

The real vector space of symmetric matrices has dimension $n(n+1)/2$. On its invertible part the derivative of the determinant isAt a determinant-one symmetric matrix, this derivative is nonzero: the symmetric direction $C=B$ gives value $n$. The regular level set theorem therefore yieldsThis applies to every signature component, not only positive-definite matrices.

The special linear congruence action on symmetric matrices preserves symmetry because $(AB{A}^T{)}^T=AB{A}^T$, and preserves determinant because $\det (AB{A}^T)=(\det A{)}^2\det B=1$. The identity acts trivially andThese verify a smooth left Lie group action of the special linear group. By Sylvester's law of inertia, it also preserves the numbers of positive and negative eigenvalues.

For $n=2$, parametrize the symmetric matrices byThus $M$ is exactly the two-sheeted hyperboloidThe two sheets consist respectively of positive-definite and negative-definite matrices. Each is preserved by the special linear congruence action on symmetric matrices. They are individually transitive: on the positive sheet $B=A{A}^T$ with $A=B^{1/2}$ and $\det A=1$; on the negative sheet use $B=-A{A}^T$. The stabilizer of either $I$ or $-I$ is $SO(2)$.

Differentiating the left Lie group action along $\exp (sX)$ gives the fundamental vector fieldFor the three matrices in the question, their coordinate components areA sign convention matters here. With the usual Lie bracket of vector fields $[U,V]f=U(Vf)-V(Uf)$, the fundamental fields of this left action obey $[u_X,u_Y]=-u_{[X,Y]}$. Indeed, for linear coordinate fields $u_X(z)=R_{X}z$, the bracket has coefficient $(R_Y{R}_X-R_X{R}_Y)z$. To obtain a Lie algebra representation rather than an anti-representation, use the infinitesimal left-action sign conventionAn explicit answer is thereforeThese are tangent to the two-sheeted hyperboloid: applying each to $Q=t^2-x^2-y^2$ gives zero. For example,They can be written on either sheet using $t=\pm \sqrt{1+x^2+y^2}$:Here the omitted ${\partial }_t$ component is determined by tangency, and derivatives of $t(x,y)$ must be included when computing brackets in these coordinates.

Direct matrix multiplication givesDirect differentiation of the displayed vector fields gives exactlyFor instance, in ambient $(t,x,y)$ coordinates, $[v_1,v_3]=(-2x,-2t,0)=v_2$. These are the defining relations of the sl2 Lie algebra. The three fields are linearly independent over constant real coefficients: if $a{v}_1+b{v}_2+c{v}_3$ vanishes on a sheet, its ${\partial }_x$ coefficient $(-a+c)y-2bt$ forces $b=0,c=a$, and its ${\partial }_y$ coefficient then equals $-2at$, forcing $a=c=0$. Thus the representation is faithful. Their pointwise span need only have dimension two, consistent with the dimension of each sheet.

An embedded smooth $d$-dimensional manifold $X\subset {\mathbb{R}}^N$ is locally carried by a smooth ambient coordinate change to ${\mathbb{R}}^d\times \{0\}$. A map between such manifolds is a smooth map between manifolds if its coordinate representatives are smooth. Its differential $d{f}_x:T_{x}X\to T_{f(x)}Y$ sends the tangent vector represented by a curve $\gamma$ to $(f\circ \gamma {)}^{\prime }(0)$; equivalently it is the derivative in charts.

A regular value $y$ is one for which $d{f}_x$ is surjective at every $x\in f^{-1}(y)$, including vacuous regularity when the fibre is empty. For example zero is not a regular value of $f:\mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$, $f(x)=x^2$, because $d{f}_0=0$.

For an invertible matrix $A$, the derivative of the determinant isAt a determinant-one matrix it is nonzero, since taking $H=A/n$ gives value one. The regular level set theorem therefore makes $S{L}_n(\mathbb{R})={\det }^{-1}(1)$ an embedded manifold of dimension $n^2-1$, also for $n=1$ when it is a single point. Matrix multiplication has polynomial ambient coordinates and restricts to the group, so it is smooth. At the identity,Finally suppose the singular-matrix set were an embedded smooth manifold near zero for $n\ge 2$. Every curve $t\mapsto t{E}_{ij}$ lies in it, since its rank is at most one. Thus every matrix unit belongs to its tangent space at zero. These span ${\mathbb{R}}^{n^2}$, forcing its local dimension to be $n^2$. An embedded manifold of full ambient dimension is locally open, but arbitrarily small scalar multiples of the identity are invertible. This contradiction proves the singular-matrix set is not an embedded smooth manifold. The argument addresses the subset-manifold convention specified at the start.

On $N={\mu }^{-1}(-1/4)$, the diagonal fundamental vector field $X$ is nonzero, since the fixed-point set lies at moment map values $0$ and $-1/2$. The nondegenerate bilinear form ${\omega }_p$ and $d\mu ={\iota }_X\omega$ imply $d\mu \ne 0$, so $-1/4$ is a regular value. By the regular level set theorem, $N$ is a three-dimensional embedded submanifold of the four-dimensional Complex projective plane.

At $p\in N$, set $W=T_{p}N=\ker d{\mu }_p$. Then $\omega (X,v)=0$ for every $v\in W$, so $X\in W^{\omega }$, the symplectic orthogonal complement. This complement is one-dimensional and $d\mu (X)=\omega (X,X)=0$, givingThus the level set is a coisotropic submanifold, neither an isotropic submanifold nor a Lagrangian submanifold. Indeed an isotropic subspace of a symplectic vector space in dimension four has dimension at most two, whereas $\dim N=3$. Its characteristic line field is generated by the diagonal circle action.

Define the smooth functionAt $x\in F^{-1}(1)$ its derivative isThis linear map is surjective because $x\ne 0$; for example, $D_{x}F(x)=2$. Hence one is a regular value, and the regular level set theorem makesan embedded codimension-one submanifold of ${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. Its tangent space is the kernel of the derivative:This is the unit sphere as a regular level set.

The curve is symmetric in both coordinate axes and under interchange of $x$ and $z$. Its shape, including its eight inflection points, is:

Writing $r^2=x^2+y^2$, the surface of revolution has equationLetIts gradient isIf this vanished, then $r^2\in \{0,1\}$ and $z^2\in \{0,1\}$, but at such a point $(r^2-1{)}^2+(z^2-1{)}^2\le 2$, not five. Hence zero is a regular value, and the regular level set theorem shows that $S=F^{-1}(0)$ is a smooth embedded surface.

For a surface of revolution, the two principal curvatures are the curvature of the meridian and the normal curvature of a parallel. Along $r=1$,so the normal is vertical in the meridian plane and the parallel principal curvature vanishes. Therefore the Gaussian curvature, the product of the principal curvatures, is zero there.

These are not the only zero-curvature points. The meridian itself has inflection points, at which its principal curvature vanishes. Setting $u=r^2$ and $v=z^2$, their positive squared coordinates satisfyBesides interchanging $u$ and $v$, the solution is approximatelyEach corresponding meridian inflection point sweeps out another circle on $S$, so $r=1$ does not exhaust the zero set of the Gaussian curvature.

LetAt $x\in F^{-1}(-1)$,This differential is nonzero because $x\ne 0$, so $-1$ is a regular value. The regular level set theorem makes $F^{-1}(-1)$ a three-dimensional embedded submanifold; intersecting it with the open set $\{x_0>0\}$ preserves that property. Therefore $X$ is the three-dimensional hyperboloid model, and

Consider the smooth mapIts derivative isAt $A\in O(1,3)$ write $H=AY$. ThenThis derivative is onto the ten-dimensional space of symmetric matrices: for a symmetric $S$, taking $Y=\frac{1}{2}MS$ gives $Y^{T}M+MY=S$. Hence $M$ is a regular value. Since $M_4(\mathbb{R})$ has dimension 16, the regular level set theorem gives

The tangent vectors are exactly those for which the derivative vanishes:Writing $Y$ in one-plus-three block form shows explicitly thatThe three entries of $v$ and three independent entries of the skew-symmetric matrix $\Omega$ again display dimension six. This is the Lie algebra of the Lorentz group.

The condition $D{f}_p\ne 0$ says that $0$ is a regular value of $f$. The regular level set theorem therefore makes $f^{-1}(0)$ a smooth submanifold of codimension one in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$, hence a smooth surface.

Forthe gradient isOn $F^{-1}(0)$, $x^2+y^2=\cosh (z^2)\ge 1$, so $x$ and $y$ cannot both vanish. Thus $\nabla F\ne 0$ there, and the given set is a smooth surface.

Not every smooth surface in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$ is a global zero set. Every set $f^{-1}(0)$ is closed because $f$ is continuous, whereas the open unit diskis a smooth surface but is not closed in ${\mathbb{R}}^3$.

On $S^n\times S^n$, consider $q(x,y)=⟨x,y⟩$. At a point of $q^{-1}(0)$, its differential isThe tangent vector $(y,x)$ lies in $T_x{S}^n\oplus T_y{S}^n$ and has $dq(y,x)=2$, so zero is a regular value. The regular level set theorem makes $P=q^{-1}(0)$ a smooth submanifold. Its tangent space is

LetIts gradient isIf this vanishes, the first and third coordinates give $x=y=z$, and the middle coordinate then gives $y=0$. Thus the origin is the only critical point of $F$. It has been removed from $V$, so $0$ is a regular value of the restriction under consideration. The regular level set theorem shows thatis a smooth surface.

LetBy the regular level set theorem, $F^{-1}(0)$ is a smooth surface wherever $\nabla F\ne 0$. A critical point on the level set would satisfyThese equations imply $4a^3+27b^2=0$. Therefore