I am beginner in Lie group theory, and I can't find the answer a question I am asking myself : I know that the Lie algebra $\mathfrak g$ of a Lie group $G$ is more or less the tangent vector of $G$ at the identity, so that $\mathfrak g$ have a very interesting property : linearity.
However $\mathfrak g$ has another property : it is stable under Lie brackets $[.,.]$.
For me when I study Lie groups I always find linearity of Lie algebras really important, and I don't see and I didn't find why the stability under Lie brackets is important. What is the main result/property of Lie groups using this property?
That would be great if you could light me!
Best Answer
I think about that this way.
In some sence geometry is "difficult" and algebra is "easy". So you want to obtain as much information as possible from studying Lie algebras instead of Lie groups, and then transering your results from algebras back to groups. So your bracket is the most natural operation on the tangent space that sort of allows you to do that. You can reinterpret a lot of properties of your Lie group (commutativity, solvability, (semi-)simplicity et.c.) into properties of the bracket on the Lie algebra. For example, simplicity for groups encodes into the property that Lie algebra does not have non-trivial ideals, and so on. You also have analogs between subgroups of different kind of your Lie group $G$ and subalgebras of $g$. For example, tangent space to the center of Lie group $G$ is the center of Lie algebra $g$, i.e. $Z(g)=\{x\in g|[x,y]=0,\forall y\in g\}$.
I hope I've helped a bit.