Covering Space - Deck Transformation Group, Regular Covers

Deck Transformation Group, Regular Covers

A deck transformation or automorphism of a cover p : C → X is a homeomorphism f : C → C such that p o f = p. The set of all deck transformations of p forms a group under composition, the deck transformation group Aut(p). Deck transformations are also called covering transformations. Every deck transformation permutes the elements of each fiber. This defines a group action of the deck transformation group on each fiber. Note that by the unique lifting property, if f is not the identity and C is path connected, then f has no fixed points.

Now suppose p : C → X is a covering map and C (and therefore also X) is connected and locally path connected. The action of Aut(p) on each fiber is free. If this action is transitive on some fiber, then it is transitive on all fibers, and we call the cover regular (or normal or Galois). Every such regular cover is a principal G-bundle, where G = Aut(p) is considered as a discrete topological group.

Every universal cover p : D → X is regular, with deck transformation group being isomorphic to the fundamental group π₁(X).

The example p : C× → C× with p(z) = zn from above is a regular cover. The deck transformations are multiplications with n-th roots of unity and the deck transformation group is therefore isomorphic to the cyclic group C_n.

Another example: p : C* → C* with from above is regular. Here one has a hierarchy of deck transformation groups. In fact C_x! is a subgroup of C_y!, for 1 ≤ x ≤ y ≤ n.