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Concept
Centralizer and normalizer
Summary
In mathematics, especially group theory, the centralizer (also called commutant) of a subset S in a group G is the set of elements of G that commute with every element of S, or equivalently, such that conjugation by leaves each element of S fixed. The normalizer of S in G is the set of elements of G that satisfy the weaker condition of leaving the set fixed under conjugation. The centralizer and normalizer of S are subgroups of G. Many techniques in group theory are based on studying the centralizers and normalizers of suitable subsets S.
Suitably formulated, the definitions also apply to semigroups.
In ring theory, the centralizer of a subset of a ring is defined with respect to the semigroup (multiplication) operation of the ring. The centralizer of a subset of a ring R is a subring of R. This article also deals with centralizers and normalizers in a Lie algebra.
The idealizer in a semigroup or ring is another construction that is in the same vein as the centralizer and normalizer.
The centralizer of a subset S of group (or semigroup) G is defined as
where only the first definition applies to semigroups.
If there is no ambiguity about the group in question, the G can be suppressed from the notation. When S = {a} is a singleton set, we write CG(a) instead of CG({a}). Another less common notation for the centralizer is Z(a), which parallels the notation for the center. With this latter notation, one must be careful to avoid confusion between the center of a group G, Z(G), and the centralizer of an element g in G, Z(g).
The normalizer of S in the group (or semigroup) G is defined as
where again only the first definition applies to semigroups. The definitions are similar but not identical. If g is in the centralizer of S and s is in S, then it must be that gs = sg, but if g is in the normalizer, then gs = tg for some t in S, with t possibly different from s. That is, elements of the centralizer of S must commute pointwise with S, but elements of the normalizer of S need only commute with S as a set.
Official source
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