Paper 4, Section II, E

Geometry | Part IB, 2019

Let H={x+iyx,yR,y>0}H=\{x+i y \mid x, y \in \mathbb{R}, y>0\} be the upper-half plane with hyperbolic metric dx2+dy2y2\frac{d x^{2}+d y^{2}}{y^{2}}. Define the group PSL(2,R)P S L(2, \mathbb{R}), and show that it acts by isometries on HH. [If you use a generation statement you must carefully state it.]

(a) Prove that PSL(2,R)P S L(2, \mathbb{R}) acts transitively on the collection of pairs (l,P)(l, P), where ll is a hyperbolic line in HH and PlP \in l.

(b) Let l+Hl^{+} \subset H be the imaginary half-axis. Find the isometries of HH which fix l+l^{+} pointwise. Hence or otherwise find all isometries of HH.

(c) Describe without proof the collection of all hyperbolic lines which meet l+l^{+}with (signed) angle α,0<α<π\alpha, 0<\alpha<\pi. Explain why there exists a hyperbolic triangle with angles α,β\alpha, \beta and γ\gamma whenever α+β+γ<π\alpha+\beta+\gamma<\pi.

(d) Is this triangle unique up to isometry? Justify your answer. [You may use without proof the fact that Möbius maps preserve angles.]

Typos? Please submit corrections to this page on GitHub.