Given two compact matrix groups represented by matrices of the same size , we may ask, what compact matrix group they generate. That is, find the smallest compact subgroup containing both and . We may ask the same question also for compact matrix quantum groups. The idea goes back to [Chi15], [BCV17].
Let and be compact matrix quantum groups with fundamental representations and of the same size. We define to be the smallest compact matrix quantum group containing and . We say that is topologically generated by and . That is is a quantum group satisfying the following.
Note that already in the case of groups it may happen that for two compact matrix groups , , the group they generate is not compact. We can fix this issue assuming that the compact groups are unitary . Then surely and hence it is compact.
Thus, also for compact matrix quantum groups and , the quantum group may not exist unless we assume for some common . This can be formulated as an equivalence.
Suppose , , and are compact matrix quantum groups with unitary fundamental representations of the same size. The following are equivalent.
In particular, exists if and only if there is a~matrix~ such that .