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arXiv:2512.19840

Quantum Mechanics on Lie Groups: I. Noncommutative Fourier Transforms

Mathieu Beauvillain, Blagoje Oblak, Marios Petropoulos

quant-phhep-thmath-phmath.CASubmitted Dec 22, 2025• Announced Dec 24, 2025• Revised Jun 25, 2026 (v2)

v1 · Dec 22, 2025 v2 · Jun 25, 2026

Abstract

Starting from square-integrable wave functions on a Lie group, we build an invertible Fourier transform mapping them on wave functions on the dual of the Lie algebra. This is a group-theoretic version of the map from position space to momentum space, with generally noncommuting momenta owing to the group structure. As a result, the multiplication of momentum-dependent functions involves star products, which makes the construction of noncommutative Fourier series much more involved than that of their commutative cousin. This is especially true when compact subgroups are present, in which case we carefully take into account quotients of the operator algebra, and the resulting normalization issues. We show that our formalism provides an isometry of Hilbert spaces, and use it to derive a noncommutative Poisson summation formula for any compact Lie group. This is a key preliminary for the computation of Wigner functions and path integrals for quantum systems on group manifolds.

DOI: 10.1088/1751-8121/ae7acc
Comments: 45 pages, 3 figures. v2: Typos fixed, clarifications added, longer sections 4 and 5. Matches published version up to proofs in main text

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Starting from square-integrable wave functions on a Lie group, we build an invertible Fourier transform mapping them on wave functions on the dual of the Lie algebra. This is a group-theoretic version of the map from position space to momentum space, with generally noncommuting momenta owing to the group structure. As a result, the multiplication of momentum-dependent functions involves star products, which makes the construction of noncommutative Fourier series much more involved than that of their commutative cousin. This is especially true when compact subgroups are present, in which case we carefully take into account quotients of the operator algebra, and the resulting normalization issues. We show that our formalism provides an isometry of Hilbert spaces, and use it to derive a noncommutative Poisson summation formula for any compact Lie group. This is a key preliminary for the computation of Wigner functions and path integrals for quantum systems on group manifolds.

We continue our study of quantum dynamics on a Lie group

G

, initiated in arXiv:2512.19840, by building the path integral that governs transition amplitudes in the Hilbert space

L^2(G)

. This relies on the proper handling of both a noncommutative momentum space and the presence of compact directions in

G

. We show that compactness can be handled through a sum over winding numbers in maximal tori of

G

, generalizing the similar sum commonly encountered for path integrals on a circle. As applications, we compute semiclassical approximations of propagators and partition functions of Euler-Arnold systems, up to (and including) two-loop order.

The Wigner-Weyl isomorphism for quantum mechanics on a compact simple Lie group

G

is developed in detail. Several New features are shown to arise which have no counterparts in the familiar Cartesian case. Notable among these is the notion of a `semiquantised phase space', a structure on which the Weyl symbols of operators turn out to be naturally defined and, figuratively speaking, located midway between the classical phase space

T^*G

and the Hilbert space of square integrable functions on

G

. General expressions for the star product for Weyl symbols are presented and explicitly worked out for the angle-angular momentum case.

The Wigner–Weyl isomorphism for quantum mechanics on a compact simple Lie group G is developed in detail. Several features are shown to arise which have no counterparts in the familiar Cartesian case. Notable among these is the notion of a semiquantized phase space, a structure on which the Weyl symbols of operators turn out to be naturally defined and, figuratively speaking, located midway between the classical phase space T*G and the Hilbert space of square integrable functions on G. General expressions for the star product for Weyl symbols are presented and explicitly worked out for the angle-angular momentum case.

Using the notions of frame transform and of square integrable projective representation of a locally compact group G , we introduce a class of isometries (tight frame transforms) from the space of Hilbert–Schmidt operators in the carrier Hilbert space of the representation into the space of square integrable functions on the direct product group G × G . These transforms have remarkable properties. In particular, their ranges are reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces endowed with a suitable 'star product' which mimics, at the level of functions, the original product of operators. A 'phase space formulation' of quantum mechanics relying on the frame transforms introduced in the present paper, and the link of these maps with both the Wigner transform and the wavelet transform are discussed.

This paper is devoted to the construction and analysis of the Wigner functions for noncommutative quantum mechanics, their marginal distributions, and star-products, following a technique developed earlier, viz, using the unitary irreducible representations of the group GNC, which is the three fold central extension of the Abelian group of ℝ4. These representations have been exhaustively studied in earlier papers. The group GNC is identified with the kinematical symmetry group of noncommutative quantum mechanics of a system with two degrees of freedom. The Wigner functions studied here reflect different levels of non-commutativity—both the operators of position and those of momentum not commuting, the position operators not commuting and finally, the case of standard quantum mechanics, obeying the canonical commutation relations only.

Starting from the axioms of quantum mechanics as formalized by the systems of imprimitivity for homogeneous Riemannian manifolds, the classical theory is derived as a consequence, complete with its phase space realized as the space of pure classical states, a generalized version of the Wigner–Moyal correspondence rule, the Jordan and Lie algebra structures of functions on the cotangent bundle, given by point-wise multiplication and Poisson bracket, and the momentum map. A comparison is also given of the quantum and classical dynamics and equilibrium statistical mechanics of free particles on compact manifolds of constant negative curvature.