Symplectic groupIn mathematics, the name symplectic group can refer to two different, but closely related, collections of mathematical groups, denoted Sp(2n, F) and Sp(n) for positive integer n and field F (usually C or R). The latter is called the compact symplectic group and is also denoted by . Many authors prefer slightly different notations, usually differing by factors of 2. The notation used here is consistent with the size of the most common matrices which represent the groups.
Braid groupIn mathematics, the braid group on n strands (denoted ), also known as the Artin braid group, is the group whose elements are equivalence classes of n-braids (e.g. under ambient isotopy), and whose group operation is composition of braids (see ). Example applications of braid groups include knot theory, where any knot may be represented as the closure of certain braids (a result known as Alexander's theorem); in mathematical physics where Artin's canonical presentation of the braid group corresponds to the Yang–Baxter equation (see ); and in monodromy invariants of algebraic geometry.
Loop spaceIn topology, a branch of mathematics, the loop space ΩX of a pointed topological space X is the space of (based) loops in X, i.e. continuous pointed maps from the pointed circle S1 to X, equipped with the compact-open topology. Two loops can be multiplied by concatenation. With this operation, the loop space is an A∞-space. That is, the multiplication is homotopy-coherently associative. The set of path components of ΩX, i.e. the set of based-homotopy equivalence classes of based loops in X, is a group, the fundamental group π1(X).
Free productIn mathematics, specifically group theory, the free product is an operation that takes two groups G and H and constructs a new group G ∗ H. The result contains both G and H as subgroups, is generated by the elements of these subgroups, and is the “universal” group having these properties, in the sense that any two homomorphisms from G and H into a group K factor uniquely through a homomorphism from G ∗ H to K. Unless one of the groups G and H is trivial, the free product is always infinite.
Étale fundamental groupThe étale or algebraic fundamental group is an analogue in algebraic geometry, for schemes, of the usual fundamental group of topological spaces. In algebraic topology, the fundamental group of a pointed topological space is defined as the group of homotopy classes of loops based at . This definition works well for spaces such as real and complex manifolds, but gives undesirable results for an algebraic variety with the Zariski topology.
Fundamental groupoidIn algebraic topology, the fundamental groupoid is a certain topological invariant of a topological space. It can be viewed as an extension of the more widely-known fundamental group; as such, it captures information about the homotopy type of a topological space. In terms of , the fundamental groupoid is a certain functor from the category of topological spaces to the category of groupoids. Let X be a topological space. Consider the equivalence relation on continuous paths in X in which two continuous paths are equivalent if they are homotopic with fixed endpoints.
Wedge sumIn topology, the wedge sum is a "one-point union" of a family of topological spaces. Specifically, if X and Y are pointed spaces (i.e. topological spaces with distinguished basepoints and ) the wedge sum of X and Y is the quotient space of the disjoint union of X and Y by the identification where is the equivalence closure of the relation More generally, suppose is a indexed family of pointed spaces with basepoints The wedge sum of the family is given by: where is the equivalence closure of the relation In other words, the wedge sum is the joining of several spaces at a single point.
Hawaiian earringIn mathematics, the Hawaiian earring is the topological space defined by the union of circles in the Euclidean plane with center and radius for endowed with the subspace topology: The space is homeomorphic to the one-point compactification of the union of a countable family of disjoint open intervals. The Hawaiian earring is a one-dimensional, compact, locally path-connected metrizable space. Although is locally homeomorphic to at all non-origin points, is not semi-locally simply connected at .
Loop (topology)In mathematics, a loop in a topological space X is a continuous function f from the unit interval I = [0,1] to X such that f(0) = f(1). In other words, it is a path whose initial point is equal to its terminal point. A loop may also be seen as a continuous map f from the pointed unit circle S^1 into X, because S^1 may be regarded as a quotient of I under the identification of 0 with 1. The set of all loops in X forms a space called the loop space of X.
Pointed spaceIn mathematics, a pointed space or based space is a topological space with a distinguished point, the basepoint. The distinguished point is just simply one particular point, picked out from the space, and given a name, such as that remains unchanged during subsequent discussion, and is kept track of during all operations. Maps of pointed spaces (based maps) are continuous maps preserving basepoints, i.e.
