Covering Graphs
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Chapter 5 Covering Graphs Another central concept in topological crystallography is the “covering map”. Roughly speaking, a covering map in general is a surjective continuous map between topological spaces which preserves the local topological structure (see Notes in this chapter for the exact definition). Figure 5.1 exhibits a covering map from the line R onto the circle S1, which somehow suggests an idea why we use the term “covering”.1 The canonical projection π : Rd −→ Rd/L, introduced in Example 2.5, is another example of a covering map. The theory of covering maps is regarded as a geometric analogue of Galois theory in algebra that describes a beautiful relationship between field extensions2 and Galois groups. Indeed, in a similar manner as Galois theory, covering maps are completely governed by what we call covering transformation groups.Inthis chapter, sacrificing full generality, we shall deal with covering maps for graphs from a combinatorial viewpoint. See [107] for the general theory. Our concern in crystallography is only special covering graphs (more specifically abelian covering graphs introduced in Chap. 6). However the notion of general covering graphs turns out to be of particular importance when we consider a “non- commutative” version of crystals, a mathematical object related to discrete groups [see Notes (IV) in Chap. 9]. Some problems in statistical mechanics are also well set up in terms of covering graph. 1More explicitly, the covering map is given by √ x ∈ R → e2π −1x ∈ S1 = {z ∈ C||z| = 1}. 2A field is an algebraic system with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division such as rational numbers, real numbers and complex numbers. T. Sunada, Topological Crystallography, Surveys and Tutorials in the Applied 53 Mathematical Sciences 6, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54177-6 5, © Springer Japan 2013 54 5 Covering Graphs Fig. 5.1 Idea of covering maps S1 5.1 Definition Let X =(V,E) and X0 =(V0,E0) be connected graphs. A morphism ω : X −→ X0 is said to be a covering map if it preserves local adjacency relations between vertices and edges; more precisely, (i) ω : V −→ V0 is surjective. (ii) For every x ∈ V, the restriction ω|Ex : Ex −→ E0,ω(x) is a bijection. Given a covering map ω : X −→ X0, we call X a covering graph over the base graph X0.Thefiber over x ∈ V0 is the inverse image: ω−1(x)={y ∈ V| ω(y)=x}. −1 If |ω (x)| is finite for a vertex x ∈ V0,thenω (or X)issaidtobefinite-fold, otherwise infinite-fold. For a finite-fold covering map ω, the number |ω−1(x)| does not depend on −1 −1 x ∈ V0.Infact,ifweput n(x)=|ω (x)|, then, for e ∈ E0,wefindthat |ω (e)| = |ω−1 ( ) | = ( ) |ω−1( )| = |ω−1 ( ) | = ( ) o e no e ,andalso e t e n t e , and hence 3 n o(e) = n t(e) .SinceX0 is connected, n(x) is constant (Lemma 3.4.1). A covering map ω with n(x)=k for some constant k is said to be k-fold. Example 5.1. In Fig. 5.2, define the map ω by setting ω(1)=ω(7)=a, ω(2)= ω(8)=b, ω(3)=ω(5)=c, ω(4)=ω(6)=d.Thenω is a twofold covering map. A useful aspect of a covering map ω : X −→ X0 is that it has the unique path- lifting property, which claims that for a path c0 =(e0,1,...,e0,n) in X0 and a vertex x in X with ω(x)=o(c0), there exists a unique path c =(e1,...,en) in X (called a lifting of c0) such that ω(c)=c0 and o(c)=x. To see this, we first apply condition 3For an infinite-fold covering map, if we mean by |ω−1(x)| the cardinality of the set ω−1(x),we have the same conclusion. Here two sets A and B in general are said to have the same cardinality, symbolically |A| = |B|, if there exists a one-to-one correspondence between them. 5.1 Definition 55 Fig. 5.2 Example of covering map (ii) to get a unique e1 ∈ Ex with ω(e1)=e0,1, and then successively apply (ii) to ∈ ω( )= , = ,..., obtain ei Et(ei−1) with ei e0 i (i 2 n). The uniqueness of c is obvious from the discussion. In general, a lifting of a morphism f0 : Y =(VY ,EY ) −→ X0 is a morphism f : Y −→ X satisfying f0 = ω ◦ f . Theorem 5.1 (Unique Lifting Theorem). If two liftings f1 and f2 of f satisfy f1(y0)= f2(y0) for some y0 ∈ Y,then f1 = f2. 9X ss ss f ss ss ω ss ss ss / Y X0 f0 Proof. Let e ∈ EY with o(e)=y0.Wehaveω f1(e) = ω f2(e) = f0(e) and o ω f1(e) = o ω f2(e) = o f0(e) = f0 o(e) = f0(y0). Thus applying condition (ii) in the definition of covering map, we find that f1(e)= f2(e) and f1 t(e) = f2 t(e) . Repeating this argument, we observe that f1(e)= f2(e) for every e ∈ EY and f1(y)=f2(y) for every y ∈ VY ; thereby proving f1 = f2 (we use the assumption that Y is connected). In general, a lifting over all of Y does not have to exist (see Sect. 5.3 for a criterion so that a lifting exists). The Euler number behaves well under covering maps; that is, for a k-fold covering graph X =(V,E) over a finite base graph X0,weget χ(X)=kχ(X0) since |V| = k|V0| and |E| = k|E0|. Equivalently, b1(X)=k b1(X0) − 1 + 1. 56 5 Covering Graphs 5.2 Covering Transformation Groups The theory of covering maps is combined with group theory via the notion of covering transformations. This fact is vital to develop topological crystallography. Let ω : X −→ X0 be a covering map. An automorphism σ of X is said to be a covering transformation (or deck transformation) provided that ω ◦ σ = ω.By −1 −1 definition, σ preserves each fiber of ω, i.e., σ ω (x) = ω (x) for every x ∈ V0, and σ is a lifting of the covering map ω as the following commutative diagram indicates: <X yy yy σ yy yy yy ω yy yy yy / X X0 ω The totality of covering transformations, symbolically G(ω), forms a subgroup of Aut(X), which we call the covering transformation group of ω. We show that G(ω) acts freely on the graph X.Letσ =(σV ,σE ) ∈ G(ω). Suppose that there exists a vertex x ∈ V with σV x = x.SinceσV x = IV (x) (IV being the identity map of V), from the unique lifting theorem, it results in σV = IV .To check that G(ω) acts on X without inversion, suppose σE (e)=e.Then ω(e)=ω(σE e)=ω(e)=ω(e), thereby giving rise to a contradiction. A covering map ω : X −→ X0 is said to be regular provided that the action of G(ω) on every fiber ω−1(x) is transitive (hence simply transitive). Thus, if ω is a finite-fold regular covering map, then the order of the group G(ω) (that is, |G(ω)|) is equal to |ω−1(x)|. Example 5.2. A twofold covering map ω : X −→ X0 is always regular. To show this, define the automorphism σ =(σV ,σE ) of X by σV x = y, σV y = x (ω(x)=ω(y), x = y), σE ex = ey, σE ey = ex (ω(ex)=ω(ey), ex ∈ Ex, ey ∈ Ey, x = y). We may check that σ is a covering transformation with σ 2 = I,andthatG(ω)= {I,σ}. Obviously G(ω) acts transitively on each fiber. We shall prove that for a regular covering map ω : X −→ X0, the quotient graph X/G(ω) is isomorphic to X0. From the definition of quotient graphs and regular covering maps, it follows that ω induces a bijection of V/G(ω) onto V0. To prove that the induced map of E/G(ω) into E0 is a bijection, suppose 5.2 Covering Transformation Groups 57 ω(e)=ω(e ) (e,e ∈ E). Since ω o(e) = ω o(e ) , the regularity of ω allows us to find σ ∈ G(ω) such that o(e )=σo(e)=o(σe).Usingω(σe)=ω(e) and condition (ii) for covering maps, we have e = σe. The bijections obtained in this way preserve the adjacency relation of graphs. Thus we have an isomorphism between X/G(ω) and X0. We shall collect several fundamental facts on covering graphs. Theorem 5.2. Suppose that a group G acts freely on a graph X. Then the canonical morphism ω : X −→ X0 = X/G is a regular covering map whose covering transformation group is G (namely, every regular covering map is obtained as a canonical morphism associated with a free action on a graph). Proof. We first show that ω is a covering map. Both ω : V −→ V0 and ω : E −→ E0 are surjective. Thus, we only have to verify that for every x ∈ V,themapω|Ex : −→ ∈ ∈ ω( )= Ex E0ω(x) is a bijection. For e0 E0ω(x),thereise E such that e e0. Observe ω o(e) = o ω(e) = o(e0)=ω(x), so o(e) and x are in the same orbit. This being so, there exists g ∈ G with go(e)=x. We thus have ge ∈ Ex and ω(ge)=ω(e)=e0. This implies that ω|Ex is surjective. To show that ω|Ex is an injection, suppose ω(e)=ω(e ) for e,e ∈ Ex.Letg ∈ G be an element with e = ge.Thenx = o(e )=o(ge)=gx.