Free regular set

In mathematics, a free regular set is a subset of a topological space that is acted upon disjointly under a given group action.

To be more precise, let X be a topological space. Let G be a group of homeomorphisms from X to X. Then we say that the action of the group G at a point <math>x\in X<math> is freely discontinuous if there exists a neighborhood U of x such that <math>g(U)\cap U=\emptyset<math> for all <math>g\in G<math>, excluding the identity. Such a U is sometimes called a nice neighborhood of x.

The set of points at which G is freely discontinuous is called the free regular set and is sometimes denoted by <math>\Omega=\Omega(G)<math>. Note that <math>\Omega<math> is an open set.

If Y is a subset of X, then Y/G is the space of equivalence classes, and it inherits the canonical topology from Y; that is, the projection from Y to Y/G is continuous and open.

Note that <math>\Omega /G<math> is a Hausdorff space.

Examples

The open set

<math>\Omega(\Gamma)=\{\tau\in H: |\tau|>1 , |\tau +\overline\tau| <1\}<math>

is the free regular set of the modular group <math>\Gamma<math> on the upper half plane H. This set is called the fundamental domain on which modular forms are studied.

See also

• Covering map
• Kleinian group.