On the geometry of inhomogeneous quantum groups

Abstract

The author gives a pedagogical introduction to the differential calculus on quantum groups by stressing at all stages the connection with the classical case. He further analyzes the relation between differential calculus and quantum Lie algebra of left (right) invariant vectorfields. Equivalent definitions of bicovariant differential calculus are studied and their geometrical interpretation is explained. From these data he constructs and analyzes the space of vectorfields, and naturally introduces a contraction operator and a Lie derivative. Their properties are discussed