Automorphism Group/Examples/Infinite Cyclic Group

Example of Automorphism Group
The automorphism group of the infinite cyclic group $\Z$ is the cyclic group of order $2$.

Proof
Let $g$ be a generator of $\Z$.

Let $\varphi$ be an automorphism on $\Z$.

By Homomorphic Image of Cyclic Group is Cyclic Group, $\map \varphi g$ is a generator of $\Z$.

By Homomorphism of Generated Group, $\varphi$ is uniquely determined by $\map \varphi g$.

By Generators of Infinite Cyclic Group, there are $2$ possible values for $\map \varphi g$.

Therefore there are $2$ automorphisms on $\Z$:


 * $\order {\Aut \Z} = 2$

By Prime Group is Cyclic, the automorphism group of the infinite cyclic group $\Z$ is the cyclic group of order $2$.