TITLE: Geometric Representation of Quasidihedral Groups
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: I am going back through Dummit/Foote studying for a prelim and came across the 'quasidihedral' or 'semi-dihedral', group of order $2^n$, with presentation $\langle r,s \mid r^{2^{n-1}} = s^2 = 1, srs = r^{2^{n-2}-1}\rangle$.  I was wondering if there is a representation of these groups, maybe even just for small order, that is feasible to visualize.  I tried to find such online without any luck.
There is the very similar $M_n(2) = \langle r,s \mid r^{2^{n-1}} = s^2 = 1, srs = r^{2^{n-2}+1}\rangle$ which I am also curious about.  In particular I would be curious to know if there is a way to derive a vague understanding of the geometry of this group from the similarly-presented quasidihedral groups above.
Thanks!

REPLY [6 votes]: The geometry of these groups is best seen through their respective actions on the Cayley graph.  The following animation shows the left action of $r$ on the Cayley graph of $M_5(2)$:

Black edges correspond to right multiplication by $r$, and should be oriented counterclockwise on both circles.  Red and blue edges correspond to right multiplication by $s$.  The left action of $s$ is a reflection across a horizontal plane that flips both circles.
The Cayley graph of the quasidihedral group of order 32 is actually the same graph, with the same left action of $r$.  The only difference is that the black edges on one of the two circles should be oriented clockwise, and left-multiplication by $s$ acts as a $180^\circ$ rotation around a horizontal axis instead of a reflection.
This "two circles rotating at different rates" geometry is reflected in the linear representations.  The quasidihedral group of order $2^n$ has a faithful two-dimensional complex representation:
$$
r \mapsto \begin{bmatrix}\omega & 0 \\ 0 & -\overline{\omega}\end{bmatrix},\qquad s\mapsto \begin{bmatrix}0 & 1 \\ 1 & 0\end{bmatrix},
$$
where $\omega$ is a primitive $2^{n-1}$ root of unity.  Note that $r$ acts as a rotation of each component of a vector, while $s$ switches the two components of a vector.  Ignoring the complex structure leads to a faithful four-dimensional real representation.
The group $M_n(2)$ has a similar faithful two-dimensional complex representation:
$$
r \mapsto \begin{bmatrix}\omega & 0 \\ 0 & -\omega\end{bmatrix},\qquad s\mapsto \begin{bmatrix}0 & 1 \\ 1 & 0\end{bmatrix},
$$
Again, this leads to a four-dimensional real representation.