J-invariant

Klein's j-invariant in the complex plane

In mathematics, Felix Klein's j-invariant or j function, regarded as a function of a complex variable τ, is a modular function of weight zero for special linear group SL(2, Z) defined on the upper half-plane of complex numbers. It is the unique such function that is holomorphic away from a simple pole at the cusp such that

Rational functions of j are modular, and in fact give all modular functions of weight 0. Classically, the j-invariant was studied as a parameterization of elliptic curves over , but it also has surprising connections to the symmetries of the Monster group (this connection is referred to as monstrous moonshine).