ConceptComplete

The Exponential Map - Examples and Constructions

Concrete examples of the exponential map for classical Lie groups illustrate its behavior and provide computational tools. These examples demonstrate both the power and limitations of the exponential map.

Example

For GLn(R)GL_n(\mathbb{R}) and SLn(R)SL_n(\mathbb{R}):

The exponential map exp⁡:gln(R)→GLn(R)\exp: \mathfrak{gl}_n(\mathbb{R}) \to GL_n(\mathbb{R}) is the standard matrix exponential. For X∈gln(R)X \in \mathfrak{gl}_n(\mathbb{R}): exp⁡(X)=∑k=0∞Xkk!\exp(X) = \sum_{k=0}^\infty \frac{X^k}{k!} This always produces an invertible matrix, with det⁡(exp⁡(X))=etr(X)\det(\exp(X)) = e^{\text{tr}(X)}.

For SLn(R)SL_n(\mathbb{R}), we have sln(R)={X:tr(X)=0}\mathfrak{sl}_n(\mathbb{R}) = \{X : \text{tr}(X) = 0\}, and exp⁡(X)∈SLn(R)\exp(X) \in SL_n(\mathbb{R}) precisely when tr(X)=0\text{tr}(X) = 0.

Example

For SO(n)SO(n):

The Lie algebra is so(n)={X∈Mn(R):XT=−X}\mathfrak{so}(n) = \{X \in M_n(\mathbb{R}) : X^T = -X\}. For X∈so(n)X \in \mathfrak{so}(n): exp⁡(X)=I+X+X22!+X33!+⋯\exp(X) = I + X + \frac{X^2}{2!} + \frac{X^3}{3!} + \cdots satisfies exp⁡(X)Texp⁡(X)=I\exp(X)^T \exp(X) = I (orthogonality) and det⁡(exp⁡(X))=1\det(\exp(X)) = 1 for connected components.

For n=2n = 2, if X=(0−θθ0)X = \begin{pmatrix} 0 & -\theta \\ \theta & 0 \end{pmatrix}, then: exp⁡(X)=(cos⁡θ−sin⁡θsin⁡θcos⁡θ)\exp(X) = \begin{pmatrix} \cos\theta & -\sin\theta \\ \sin\theta & \cos\theta \end{pmatrix} This gives all rotations in the plane, so exp⁡:so(2)→SO(2)\exp: \mathfrak{so}(2) \to SO(2) is surjective.

Remark

For SO(3)SO(3), the exponential map is surjective but not injective. Every rotation can be written as exp⁡(X)\exp(X) for some X∈so(3)X \in \mathfrak{so}(3), but infinitely many different XX can give the same rotation (due to periodicity in the rotation angle).

Example

For SU(n)SU(n):

The Lie algebra is su(n)={X∈Mn(C):X∗=−X,tr(X)=0}\mathfrak{su}(n) = \{X \in M_n(\mathbb{C}) : X^* = -X, \text{tr}(X) = 0\}. For any X∈su(n)X \in \mathfrak{su}(n): exp⁡(X)∗exp⁡(X)=Ianddet⁡(exp⁡(X))=1\exp(X)^* \exp(X) = I \quad \text{and} \quad \det(\exp(X)) = 1

For SU(2)SU(2), writing X=(ixy+iz−y+iz−ix)X = \begin{pmatrix} ix & y + iz \\ -y + iz & -ix \end{pmatrix} with x,y,z∈Rx, y, z \in \mathbb{R}: exp⁡(X)=(cos⁡r+ixrsin⁡ry+izrsin⁡r−y−izrsin⁡rcos⁡r−ixrsin⁡r)\exp(X) = \begin{pmatrix} \cos r + i\frac{x}{r}\sin r & \frac{y + iz}{r}\sin r \\ -\frac{y - iz}{r}\sin r & \cos r - i\frac{x}{r}\sin r \end{pmatrix} where r=x2+y2+z2r = \sqrt{x^2 + y^2 + z^2}. The map exp⁡:su(2)→SU(2)\exp: \mathfrak{su}(2) \to SU(2) is surjective.

Rodrigues' formula for SO(3)SO(3) provides an explicit formula for rotations. For X∈so(3)X \in \mathfrak{so}(3) with ∥X∥=θ\|X\| = \theta (rotation angle): exp⁡(X)=I+sin⁡θθX+1−cos⁡θθ2X2\exp(X) = I + \frac{\sin\theta}{\theta}X + \frac{1 - \cos\theta}{\theta^2}X^2

Example

The Heisenberg group: For X=(0ac00b000)∈hX = \begin{pmatrix} 0 & a & c \\ 0 & 0 & b \\ 0 & 0 & 0 \end{pmatrix} \in \mathfrak{h}, the exponential is: exp⁡(X)=(1ac+ab201b001)\exp(X) = \begin{pmatrix} 1 & a & c + \frac{ab}{2} \\ 0 & 1 & b \\ 0 & 0 & 1 \end{pmatrix} The exponential map exp⁡:h→H\exp: \mathfrak{h} \to H is a global diffeomorphism, characteristic of nilpotent groups.

Remark

Computational methods: For practical computation of matrix exponentials, several methods exist:

  • Diagonalization: If X=PDP−1X = PDP^{-1}, then exp⁡(X)=Pexp⁡(D)P−1\exp(X) = P \exp(D) P^{-1}
  • Scaling and squaring: Compute exp⁡(X/2n)\exp(X/2^n) (easy for small matrices), then square nn times
  • Padé approximations: Rational function approximations to the exponential

These examples show that while the exponential map is always a local diffeomorphism, its global properties depend sensitively on the structure of the Lie group.