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arXiv:2508.16691 · Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física

From Rotations to Unitaries: Reversible Quantum Processes and the Emergence of the SU(2)−SO(3) Homomorphism

V. G. Valle, B. F. Rizzuti

Published Jan 1, 2026• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract We present an operational reconstruction of the well-known two-to-one homomorphism between the groups SU(2) and SO(3), grounded in the physical description of quantum state preparation and evolution. Starting from the connection between vectors in three-dimensional physical space and quantum states of two-level systems, we investigate how reversible transformations–modeled as completely positive and trace-preserving maps–give rise to a correspondence between spatial rotations and unitary operations. Our approach reveals how this group-theoretic structure naturally emerges from physical constraints, particularly the preservation of purity and reversibility in quantum processes. Beyond its theoretical relevance, the construction offers a pedagogically accessible framework for introducing core ideas in quantum mechanics and symmetry groups, making the abstract correspondence between SU(2) and SO(3) tangible through experimentally meaningful procedures.

DOI
10.1590/1806-9126-rbef-2025-0374

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•Jan 16, 2026•0 citations
Abstract We present an operational reconstruction of the well-known two-to-one homomorphism between the groups SU(2) and SO(3), grounded in the physical description of quantum state preparation and evolution. Starting from the connection between vectors in three-dimensional physical space and quantum states of two-level systems, we investigate how reversible transformations–modeled as completely positive and trace-preserving maps–give rise to a correspondence between spatial rotations and unitary operations. Our approach reveals how this group-theoretic structure naturally emerges from physical constraints, particularly the preservation of purity and reversibility in quantum processes. Beyond its theoretical relevance, the construction offers a pedagogically accessible framework for introducing core ideas in quantum mechanics and symmetry groups, making the abstract correspondence between SU(2) and SO(3) tangible through experimentally meaningful procedures.
This paper considers homomorphism of the Lie group SU(2) to the Lie group SO(3) of all rotations of 3- dimensional Euclidean space from Observers Mathematics point of view. In our work, we proved that in Observers Mathematics the probability of spin-j transformation is a homomorphism (representation) of SU(2 ) to the set of matrix transformations of a linear space of polynomial functions is less than 1, and got corresponding results for elementary fermions and bosons. As a continuation of these results we proved here the following theorems: Theorem 1. In Observers Mathematics the probability of two-to-one transformation of SU(2) to SO(3) is Lie groups homomorphism (representation) is less than 1. Theorem 2. The probability of two-to-one transformation and spin-j transformation (j = 1) are equivalent in Observers Mathematics is less than 1.
Understanding the geometry of state space is of fundamental interest in the field of quantum information, in particular to study entanglement. The states of a d dimensional system form a convex set in the d2−1 dimensional Euclidean space Rd2−1. For a two dimensional system this convex set is nothing but a solid unit sphere (Bloch sphere) with centre at the origin. The surface S of this unit sphere consists of all the pure states of the system. Every unitary transformation U ∈ SU(2) of the Hilbert space corresponds to an associated SO(3) rotation of this space. This kind of correspondence becomes much richer when we go to higher dimension. For example, in the d = 3 case the corresponding unitary group is the eight parameter group SU(3) whereas the rotation group in R is the 28 parameter group SO(8). Therefore, not every point on or inside the sphere S in R will correspond to a state of the system. So, not every rotation in R will correspond to a valid unitary transformation of the 3 dimensional Hilbert space. This gives us a fairly complex convex object as the set of all states. In order to gain insight into the structure of this state space, we study its two dimensional and three dimensional cross-sections. In particular, we describe in detail the discrete symmetries of a non-trivial 3-section of the convex set of states (density matrices) for three dimensional systems. This group turns out to be the same as that of a tetrahedron.
Natural one-to-one and two-to-one homomorphisms from SO(3) into SU(2) are built conventionally, and the collection of qubits, is identified with a subgroup of SU(2). This construction is suitable to be extended to corresponding tensor powers. The notions of qubits, quregisters and qugates are translated into the language of symmetry groups. The corresponding elements to entangled states in the tensor product of Hilbert spaces reflect entanglement properties as well, and in this way a notion of entanglement is realised in the tensor product of symmetry groups.
A two-sphere (``Bloch'' or ``Poincare'') is familiar for describing the dynamics of a spin-1∕21∕21∕2 particle or light polarization. Analogous objects are derived for unitary groups larger than SU(2) through an iterative procedure that constructs evolution operators for higher-dimensional SU(N)\mathrm{SU}(N)SU(N) in terms of lower-dimensional ones. We focus, in particular, on the SU(4) of two qubits which describes all possible logic gates in quantum computation and entangled states in quantum-information sciences. For a general Hamiltonian of SU(4) with 15 parameters, and for Hamiltonians of its various subgroups so that fewer parameters suffice, we derive Bloch-like rotation of unit vectors analogous to the one familiar for a single spin in a magnetic field. The unitary evolution of a quantal spin pair is thereby expressed as rotations of real, many-dimensional vectors. Correspondingly, the manifolds involved are Bloch two-spheres along with higher dimensional manifolds such as a four-sphere for the SO(5) subgroup and an eight-dimensional Grassmannian manifold for the general SU(4). The latter may also be viewed as two, mutually orthogonal, real six-dimensional unit vectors moving on a five-sphere with an additional phase constraint. This geometrical picture for two spins provides the extension and generalization of the Bloch sphere that has proved invaluable for the understanding of the dynamics of a single spin.
The structure of the state spaces of bipartite $N\ensuremath{\bigotimes}N$ quantum systems which are invariant under product representations of the group SO(3) of three-dimensional proper rotations is analyzed. The subsystems represent particles of arbitrary spin jjj which transform according to an irreducible representation of the rotation group. A positive map $\ensuremath{\vartheta}$ is introduced which describes the time reversal symmetry of the local states and which is unitarily equivalent to the transposition of matrices. It is shown that the partial time reversal transformation ${\ensuremath{\vartheta}}_{2}=I\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\ensuremath{\vartheta}$ acting on the composite system can be expressed in terms of the invariant $6\text{\ensuremath{-}}j$ symbols introduced by Wigner into the quantum theory of angular momentum. This fact enables a complete geometrical construction of the manifold of states with positive partial transposition and of the sets of separable and entangled states of $4\ensuremath{\bigotimes}4$ systems. The separable states are shown to form a three-dimensional prism and a three-dimensional manifold of bound entangled states is identified. A positive map is obtained which yields, together with the time reversal, a necessary and sufficient condition for the separability of states of $4\ensuremath{\bigotimes}4$ systems. The relations to the reduction criterion and to the recently proposed cross norm criterion for separability are discussed.
This work presents a rigorous, first-principles audit of unitarity in quantum mechanics, treating unitarity not as a foundational axiom but as a hypothesis whose validity depends on explicit physical and mathematical assumptions. The analysis is conducted entirely within the operational framework of open quantum systems, using completely positive trace-preserving (CPTP) maps to describe the dynamics of reduced subsystems. By systematically isolating and auditing every prerequisite required for unitary evolution—including perfect isolation, Hilbert-space factorization, linearity, the Born rule, and time parameterization—the manuscript demonstrates that unitarity is neither fundamental nor universal, but instead an emergent, scale-dependent consistency condition. The paper distinguishes clearly between mathematical bookkeeping identities and physically meaningful conservation laws, showing that probability conservation does not require unitarity, and that reversibility and energy conservation are not guaranteed by unitary evolution alone. Explicit, mathematically consistent non-unitary evolution models are constructed, including Lindblad dynamics, non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, stochastic Schrödinger equations, non-Markovian evolution, and quantum Darwinism. The work further identifies the precise regimes in which unitary dynamics emerges as an effective approximation—such as weak coupling, short timescales, or limited observational resolution—and delineates the conditions under which it fails. Empirical evidence from atomic spectroscopy, quantum information processing, decoherence experiments, and measurement theory is used to anchor the analysis without assuming fundamental unitarity. The central conclusion is unambiguous: no physically accessible open or effective subsystem undergoes strictly unitary evolution. Unitarity is shown to be an emergent, conditional, and scale-dependent property rather than a fundamental law of nature. This manuscript is intended as a foundational clarification of the status of unitarity in quantum theory and is suitable for researchers in quantum foundations, open quantum systems, quantum information, and quantum gravity. FUSION OS INNOVATIONS