Finite Groups Generated in Low Real Codimension

Abstract

We study the intersection lattice of the arrangement $\mathcal{A}^G$ of subspaces fixed by subgroups of a finite linear group $G$. When $G$ is a reflection group, this arrangement is precisely the hyperplane reflection arrangement of $G$. We generalize the notion of finite reflection groups. We say that a group $G$ is generated (resp. strictly generated) in codimension $k$ if it is generated by its elements that fix point-wise a subspace of codimension at most $k$ (resp. precisely $k$). If $G$ is generated in codimension two, we show that the intersection lattice of $\mathcal{A}^G$ is atomic. We prove that the alternating subgroup $\mathsf{Alt}(W)$ of a reflection group $W$ is strictly generated in codimension two, moreover, the subspace arrangement of $\mathsf{Alt}(W)$ is the truncation at rank two of the reflection arrangement $\mathcal{A}^W$. Further, we compute the intersection lattice of all finite subgroups of $GL_3(\mathbb{R})$, and moreover, we emphasize the groups that are "minimally generated in real codimension two", i.e, groups that are strictly generated in codimension two but have no real reflection representations. We also provide several examples of groups generated in higher codimension.