Two-sheeted hyperboloid ($t^2-x^2-y^2=1$)

This regular surface has two connected components, $t=\pm \sqrt{1+x^2+y^2}$. The symmetric-matrix model of the two-sheeted hyperboloid realizes them as the positive-definite and negative-definite symmetric determinant-one $2\times 2$ matrices. Each component is diffeomorphic to ${\mathbb{R}}^2$; this differs from the connected one-sheet hyperboloid.

The displayed coordinates identify determinant-one real symmetric matrices of size two with the two-sheeted hyperboloid. The special linear congruence action on symmetric matrices is transitive on each sheet, with stabilizer $SO(2)$. In particular the positive sheet is the homogeneous space $SL(2,\mathbb{R})/SO(2)$, a model of the hyperbolic plane.