I am looking for an example of two Lie groups which are isomorphic as groups but not homeomorphic as topological spaces. Or, even more interestingly, a proof that two such groups cannot exist. Does anyone have an example or a proof?
Two Lie groups which are isomorphic but not homeomorphic
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$\begingroup$
abstract-algebra
lie-groups
topological-groups
1 Answers
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$\mathbb{R}$ and $\mathbb{R}^2$ are isomorphic as groups because both are vector spaces over $\mathbb{Q}$ of the same dimension, but they are not homeomorphic as topological spaces because the former can be disconnected by removing a point and the latter cannot.
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5Yes, if you take away the axiom of choice, there is a model in which the opposite conclusion to the OP's original question holds (it's consistent with ZF that all group homomorphisms between Lie groups are continuous). – 2012-09-04