Binary octahedral group

Abstract: Cayley-Dickson doubling procedure is used to construct the root systems of some celebrated Lie algebras in terms of the integer elements of the division algebras of real numbers, complex numbers, quaternions and octonions. Starting with the roots and weights of SU(2) expressed as the real numbers one can construct the root systems of the Lie algebras of SO(4),SP(2)= SO(5),SO(8),SO(9),F_{4} and E_{8} in terms of the discrete elements of the division algebras. The roots themselves display the group structures besides the octonionic roots of E_{8} which form a closed octonion algebra. The automorphism group Aut(F_{4}) of the Dynkin diagram of F_{4} of order 2304, the largest crystallographic group in 4-dimensional Euclidean space, is realized as the direct product of two binary octahedral group of quaternions preserving the quaternionic root system of F_{4}.The Weyl groups of many Lie algebras, such as, G_{2},SO(7),SO(8),SO(9),SU(3)XSU(3) and SP(3)X SU(2) have been constructed as the subgroups of Aut(F_{4}). We have also classified the other non-parabolic subgroups of Aut(F_{4}) which are not Weyl groups. Two subgroups of orders192 with different conjugacy classes occur as maximal subgroups in the finite subgroups of the Lie group $G_{2}$ of orders 12096 and 1344 and proves to be useful in their constructions. The triality of SO(8) manifesting itself as the cyclic symmetry of the quaternionic imaginary units e_{1},e_{2},e_{3} is used to show that SO(7) and SO(9) can be embedded triply symmetric way in SO(8) and F_{4} respectively.

Abstract: Let n\geq 3. We classify the finite groups which are realised as subgroups of the sphere braid group B_n(S^2). Such groups must be of cohomological period 2 or 4. Depending on the value of n, we show that the following are the maximal finite subgroups of B_n(S^2): Z_{2(n-1)}; the dicyclic groups of order 4n and 4(n-2); the binary tetrahedral group T_1; the binary octahedral group O_1; and the binary icosahedral group I. We give geometric as well as some explicit algebraic constructions of these groups in B_n(S^2), and determine the number of conjugacy classes of such finite subgroups. We also reprove Murasugi's classification of the torsion elements of B_n(S^2), and explain how the finite subgroups of B_n(S^2) are related to this classification, as well as to the lower central and derived series of B_n(S^2).

Abstract: We find that the degeneracies and many peculiarities of the DNA genetic code may be described thanks to two closely related (fivefold symmetric) finite groups. The first group has signature G=Z5⋊H where H=Z2.S4≅2O is isomorphic to the binary octahedral group 2O and S4 is the symmetric group on four letters/bases. The second group has signature G=Z5⋊GL(2,3) and points out a threefold symmetry of base pairings. For those groups, the representations for the 22 conjugacy classes of G are in one-to-one correspondence with the multiplets encoding the proteinogenic amino acids. Additionally, most of the 22 characters of G attached to those representations are informationally complete. The biological meaning of these coincidences is discussed.

Abstract: The Kummer surface was constructed in 1864. It corresponds to the desingularization of the quotient of a 4-torus by 16 complex double points. Kummer surface is known to play a role in some models of quantum gravity. Following our recent model of the DNA genetic code based on the irreducible characters of the finite group G5:=(240,105)≅Z5⋊2O (with 2O the binary octahedral group), we now find that groups G6:=(288,69)≅Z6⋊2O and G7:=(336,118)≅Z7⋊2O can be used as models of the symmetries in hexamer and heptamer proteins playing a vital role for some biological functions. Groups G6 and G7 are found to involve the Kummer surface in the structure of their character table. An analogy between quantum gravity and DNA/RNA packings is suggested.