2

Example 15.9 is showed as follows in Loring Tu's An Introduction to manifolds:

Example 15.9 (Lines with irrational slope in a torus). Let $G$ be the torus $\mathbb{R}^2/\mathbb{Z}^2$ and $L$ a line through the origin in $\mathbb{R}^2$. The torus can also be represented by the unit square with the opposite edges identified. The image $H$ of $L$ under the projection $\pi:\mathbb{R}^2\longrightarrow\mathbb{R}^2/\mathbb{Z}^2$ is a closed curve if and only if the line $L$ goes through another lattice point, say $(m,n)\in\mathbb{Z}^2$. This is the case if and only if the slope of $L$ is $n/m$, a rational number or $\infty$; then $H$ is the image of finitely many line segments on the unit square. It is a closed curve diffeomorphic to a circle and is a regular submanifold of $\mathbb{R}^2/\mathbb{Z}^2$ (Figure 15.1).

If the slope of $L$ is irrational, then its image $H$ on the torus will never close up. In this case the restriction to $L$ of the projection map, $f=\pi|_L:L\longrightarrow\mathbb{R}^2/\mathbb{Z}^2$, is a one-to-one immersion. We give $H$ the topology and manifold structure induced from $f$. Fig. 15.1. An embedded Lie subgroup of the torus.

It can be shown that $H$ is a dense subset of the torus [3, Example 111.6.15, p. 86]. Thus, $H$ is an immersed submanifold but not a regular submanifold of the torus $\mathbb{R}^2/\mathbb{Z}^2$.

Whatever the slope of $L$, its image $H$ in $\mathbb{R}^2/\mathbb{Z}^2$ is an abstract subgroup of the torus, an immersed submanifold, and a Lie group. Therefore, $H$ is a Lie subgroup of the torus.

I see that $H$ is an immersed submanifold, but I cannot understand how $H$ is an immersed submanifold but not a regular submanifold of the torus $\mathbb R^2/\mathbb Z^2$ is deduced from previous context. Can anyone explain the details for me?

FFjet
  • 5,124
  • Regular submanifold means the inclusion is a homeomorphism onto its image. In this case it's not, although the inclusion is at least an immersion (differential injective at each point). – Dog_69 Feb 07 '21 at 12:27
  • Notice that it is not open, so it is not a regular submanifold of codimension $0$. Then, if it were a regular submanifold, it would have to be of codimension greater than $0$, which would make it a closed subset of $\mathbb{R}^2 / \mathbb{Z}^2$. – Duarte Costa Feb 07 '21 at 12:30

1 Answers1

3

In order for $H$ to be a regular submanifold, the natural map from $H$ into $\Bbb R^2/\Bbb Z^2$ should be a homeomorphism onto its image. But it is not, since the image is not locally connected. On the other hand, every manifold is locally connected, since it is locally homeomorphic to some $\Bbb R^n$ (in this case, $n=1$).