Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General
Coherent neutron fields and the Lie algebra sl(2,R)
E. Ledinegg, E. Schachinger
Abstract
The application of Glauber's definition (1963) of quantum coherence allows the introduction of neutron fields of partial coherence under the assumption that the complete occupation number space is a direct product of Fermi subspaces. Excitations are described by 'collective' creation and annihilation operators which span an algebra isomorphic to the sl(2,R) algebra. The associated coherent states are of partial coherence and the finite dimensional representation of the su(2,R) algebra is not regularly coherent. In contrast, the transition to an infinite dimensional representation space results in regular coherent properties of the field. This is demonstrated using the representation space of the su(1,1) algebra which has a real isomorphism to the sl(2,R) algebra. The coherent states calculated from Glauber's condition for coherence are completely coherent, and are, moreover, identical to those found by Barut and Girardello (1971) in starting from a far more abstract argument.