In mathematics the spin group, denoted Spin(n), is a Lie group whose underlying manifold is the double cover of the special orthogonal group SO(n) = SO(n, R), such that there exists a short exact sequence of Lie groups (when n ≠ 2)

The group multiplication law on the double cover is given by lifting the multiplication on ${\displaystyle \operatorname {SO} (n)}$.

As a Lie group, Spin(n) therefore shares its dimension, ⁠n(n − 1)/2⁠, and its Lie algebra with the special orthogonal group.

For n > 2, Spin(n) is simply connected and so coincides with the universal cover of SO(n).

The non-trivial element of the kernel is denoted −1, which should not be confused with the orthogonal transform of reflection through the origin, generally denoted −I.

Spin(n) can be constructed as a subgroup of the invertible elements in the Clifford algebra Cl(n). A distinct article discusses the spin representations.

The spin group is used in physics when describing the symmetries of (electrically neutral, uncharged) fermions. Its complexification, Spinc, is used to describe electrically charged fermions, most notably the electron. Strictly speaking, the spin group describes a fermion in a zero-dimensional space; however, space is not zero-dimensional, and so the spin group is used to define (non-existent) spin structures as calculation tool on (pseudo-)Riemannian manifolds: the spin group is the structure group of a spinor bundle. The affine connection on a spinor bundle is the spin connection; the spin connection can simplify calculations in general relativity. The spin connection in turn enables the Dirac equation to be written in curved spacetime (effectively in the tetrad coordinates).

Construction of the Spin group often starts with the construction of a Clifford algebra over a real vector space V with a definite quadratic form q. The Clifford algebra is the quotient of the tensor algebra TV of V by a two-sided ideal. The tensor algebra (over the reals) may be written as