# A remark about the Lie algebra of infinitesimal conformal transformations of the Euclidian space

## 1 Introduction

Interest has been shown in recent works about equivariant quantizations (see e.g. ) for some particular Lie subalgebras of vector fields over the $`n`$-dimensional Euclidian space $`\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$. These are embeddings of $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑙}(n+1,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ and $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p+1,q+1,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$, $`(p+q=n)`$, into the Lie algebra of polynomial vector fields over $`\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$.

Because of its interpretation as the infinitesimal counterpart to the action of the group $`\mathrm{𝑆𝐿}(n+1,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ on the $`n`$-dimensional real projective space, the embedding of $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑙}(n+1,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ into these fields is called the *projective Lie algebra*. It is quite a well-known fact that it is maximal among polynomial vector fields; see  for a proof.

In this paper, we focus our interest on the other subalgebras, related to infinitesimal conformal transformations.

We will in particular generalize and refine a theorem by V. I. Ogievetsky: in , a mix of projective and conformal vector fields is said to generate the Lie algebra of polynomial vector fields and an explicit proof given in dimension $`4`$.

When dimension $`n`$ is greater than 2, infinitesimal conformal transformations constitute a finite-dimensional Lie algebra, made up of polynomial vector fields. This is the considered embedding of $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p+1,q+1,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ into vector fields. When $`n=2`$, this embedding is only a finite-dimensional subalgebra of the (infinite-dimensional) Lie algebra of conformal infinitesimal transformations.

In both cases, we prove that the subalgebra of such polynomial conformal transformations is maximal among polynomial vector fields. For the sake of completeness, we examine the special position of the introduced finite-dimensional subalgebras in dimension $`2`$.

We will denote by $`\mathrm{Vect}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$ the Lie algebra of vector fields over $`\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$, and respectively by $`\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$, $`\mathrm{Vect}_i(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$ and $`\mathrm{Vect}_i(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$ the Lie algebra of polynomial vector fields over $`\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$, the space of polynomial fields of degree not greater than $`i`$ and the space of homogeneous fields of degree $`i`$.

We will always assume that dimension $`n`$ is greater than $`1`$.

## 2 The algebra $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(p,q)`$

Let us denote by $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(p,q)`$ the Lie algebra of vector fields over $`\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$, $`n=p+q`$, conformal with respect to the metric

$$g=\underset{i=1}{\overset{n}{}}a_i(\mathrm{𝑑𝑥}^i)^2,$$

where $`a_1=\mathrm{}=a_p=1`$ and $`a_{p+1}=\mathrm{}=a_n=1`$.

These are the fields $`X`$ which satisfy

$$L_Xg=\alpha _Xg$$

for some smooth function $`\alpha _X`$. Denote by $`_i`$ both the partial derivative along the $`i`$-th axis and the $`i`$-th natural basis vector of $`\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$. It is equivalent for the components of $`X=_iX^i_i`$ to satisfy

$$\{\begin{array}{ccc}_i(a_jX^j)+_j(a_iX^i)\hfill & =\hfill & 0\hfill \\ _i(a_iX^i)_j(a_jX^j)\hfill & =\hfill & 0\hfill \end{array}$$
(1)   
when $`ij`$.

For $`h\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$, $`A\mathrm{𝑔𝑙}(n,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ and $`\alpha \mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$, define

$$\begin{array}{ccc}h^{}\hfill & =\hfill & _ih^i_i\hfill \\ A^{}\hfill & =\hfill & _{i,j}A_j^ix^j_i\hfill \\ \alpha ^{}\hfill & =\hfill & \alpha (x)_ix^i_i\frac{1}{2}(_ia_i(x^i)^2)\alpha ^{\mathrm{}}\hfill \end{array}$$

where $`\alpha ^{\mathrm{}}=_ia_i\alpha _i_i`$.

The space

$$(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p,q,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R1}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)^{}$$

is a Lie subalgebra of $`\mathrm{Vect}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$, isomorphic to $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p+1,q+1,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$. We will denote it by $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p+1,q+1)`$.

If $`n>2`$, it is known that $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(p,q)=\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p+1,q+1)`$. This follows for instance from .

When $`p=2`$, $`q=0`$, condition $`(\text{1})`$ precisely means $`X^1+iX^2`$ is holomorphic in $`\mathrm{C}\mathrm{I}`$: $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(2,0)`$ is then isomorphic to the Lie subalgebra

$$\{f\frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}z}:f\text{ is holomorphic in }\mathrm{C}\mathrm{I}\}$$

of $`\mathrm{Vect}(\mathrm{C}\mathrm{I})`$. Through this isomorphism, $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(3,1)`$ is mapped onto $`\mathrm{Vect}_2(\mathrm{C}\mathrm{I})`$ and is isomorphic to $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑙}(2,\mathrm{C}\mathrm{I})`$ considered as a real Lie algebra.

When $`p=q=1`$, the classical change of coordinates

$$\{\begin{array}{ccc}x^1+x^2\hfill & =\hfill & 2u^1\hfill \\ x^1x^2\hfill & =\hfill & 2u^2\hfill \end{array}$$

transforms $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(1,1)`$ into the space of smooth vector fields

$$U^1(x^1)_1+U^2(x^2)_2.$$

In other words, $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(1,1)`$ is isomorphic to $`\mathrm{Vect}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})\times \mathrm{Vect}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$. This time, $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(2,2)`$ is mapped onto $`\mathrm{Vect}_2(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})^2`$.

The particular form of condition $`(\text{1})`$ implies the following result, which turns out to be immediate but useful.

###### Lemma 1

If $`_1X,\mathrm{},_nX\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(p,q)`$ then $`X\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(p,q)+\mathrm{Vect}_1(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$.

Proof. The first order derivatives of $`X`$ are conformal if and only if left hand sides of $`(\text{1})`$ are constant. Subtracting a linear vector field from $`X`$, one can force them to vanish and thus $`X`$ to be conformal.

## 3 Maximality of conformal algebras of polynomial vector fields

Denote by $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q)`$ the Lie subalgebra of $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}(p,q)`$ made up of polynomial vector fields. Here is the announced result.

###### Theorem 2

$`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q)`$ is maximal in $`\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$.

The word maximal is to be taken in its usual algebraic sense : the only algebra of polynomial vector fields larger than $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q)`$ is $`\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$.

In order to prove the theorem, it suffices to show that any larger subalgebra than $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q)`$ contains every constant, linear or quadratic vector field, as implied by the following straightforward lemma.

###### Lemma 3

The smallest Lie subalgebra containing $`\mathrm{Vect}_2(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$ is $`\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$.

It is of course not true when $`n=1`$, as $`\mathrm{Vect}_2(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ is a subalgebra of $`\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$.

Proof of theorem 2.  Let $`X`$ be a polynomial vector field not in $`\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q)`$. We may suppose that $`X\mathrm{Vect}_1(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)(\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p,q,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R1}\mathrm{I})^{}`$. Indeed, if it is not the case, repeatedly applying lemma 1, we replace $`X`$ by some $`_iX=[_i,X]\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q)`$ as long as possible and then subtract from the last built field its homogeneous parts of degree $`1`$.

Besides, as a module of $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p,q,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$, $`\mathrm{𝑔𝑙}(n,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ is split into three irreducible components:

$$\mathrm{𝑔𝑙}(n,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})=\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R1}\mathrm{I}\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p,q,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p,q,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})^+,$$

where $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p,q,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})^+`$ denotes the space of traceless self-conjugate matrices with respect to the metric. The linear map

$$A\mathrm{𝑔𝑙}(n,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})A^{}\mathrm{Vect}_1(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)$$

being an isomorphism of Lie algebras, it follows that the iteration of brackets of fields of $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p,q,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})^{}`$ with $`X`$ allows to generate every linear vector field, i.e.

$$\mathrm{Vect}_1(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)>\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q)\{X\}<,$$

if $`>S<`$ denotes the smallest Lie algebra containing a set $`S`$ of vector fields.

We still need to show that the latter algebra contains every homogeneous quadratic vector field.

It is known that the action $`[A^{},]`$ of $`A\mathrm{𝑔𝑙}(n,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$ endows $`\mathrm{Vect}_2`$ with a structure of $`\mathrm{𝑔𝑙}(n,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$-module for which the subspace of divergence-free vector fields is irreducible. Now, writing a quadratic vector field

$$X=\frac{1}{n}\alpha ^{}+(X\frac{1}{n}\alpha ^{})$$

with $`\alpha \mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n`$ such that $`\alpha (x)=\mathrm{div}X`$, one easily sees that

$$\mathrm{Vect}_2(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)=(\mathrm{Vect}_2(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)\mathrm{𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑓}_{}(p,q))\mathrm{ker}\mathrm{div}.$$

Therefore, to generate $`\mathrm{Vect}_2`$, it suffices to find $`Y`$, $`Z`$ among the fields generated so far such that $`[Y,Z]0`$ and $`\mathrm{div}[Y,Z]=0`$. The fields $`Y=x^1_1`$ and $`Z=(\mathrm{𝑑𝑥}^2)^{}`$ do the job.

Hence the result.

As a consequence, $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(p+1,q+1)`$ is not maximal in $`\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^n)`$ only if $`n=2`$. It is easy to check that $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(3,1)`$ is maximal in the Lie subalgebra

$$\{X\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}^2):X^1+iX^2\text{ is a polynomial of }z=x+iy\}$$

and that $`\mathrm{𝑠𝑜}(2,2)`$ is maximal in two subalgebras isomorphic to

$$\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})\times \mathrm{𝑠𝑙}(2,\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R}),$$

in turn maximal in a copy of $`\mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})\times \mathrm{Vect}_{}(\mathrm{I}\mathrm{R})`$.

Institut de mathématique, B37   
Grande Traverse, 12   
B-4000 Sart Tilman (Liège)   
Belgium   
mailto:f.boniver@ulg.ac.be   
mailto:plecomte@ulg.ac.be