Matrices: Operator Representations

Z. Ficek

This chapter illustrates how one can obtain a matrix representation of a state vector, an operator, and an eigenvalue equation in a basis of orthonormal states. It helps to learn that matrix representations are very useful in calculations of the properties of operators, because algebra of matrices is very simple and completely developed. Readers familiar with the algebra of matrices agree that mathematical operations on matrices such as multiplication by a scalar, addition, subtraction, multiplication and diagonalization are simple and easy to perform. In fact, the application of the algebra of matrices to quantum physics results from the direct relations between operators and matrices that any mathematical relation that holds between operators also holds between the corresponding matrices. The eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the matrix representing a given operator  in the basis of orthonormal states are the same as the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of Â.

Hanitriarivo Rakotoson, Raoelina Andriambololona, Ravo Tokiniaina Ranaivoson +1 more

The aim of this paper is to present a study on the representations of coordinate, momentum and dispersion operators in the framework of a phase space representation of quantum mechanics that we have introduced and studied in previous works. We begin in the introduction section with a recall about the concept of representation of operators on wave function spaces. Then, we show that in the case of the phase space representation the coordinate and momentum operators can be represented either with differential operators or with matrices. The explicit expressions of both the differential operators and matrices representations are established. Multidimensional generalization of the obtained results are performed and phase space representation of dispersion operators are given.

George C. Turrell

Lev Deych

Rouven Frassek

We present a family of novel Lax operators corresponding to representations of the RTT-realisation of the Yangian associated with D-type Lie algebras. These Lax operators are of oscillator type, i.e. one space of the operators is infinite-dimensional while the other is in the first fundamental representation of so(2r). We use the isomorphism between the first fundamental representation of D3 and the 6 of A3, for which the degenerate oscillator type Lax matrices are known, to derive the Lax operators for r=3. The results are used to generalise the Lax matrices to arbitrary rank for representations corresponding to the extremal nodes of the simply laced Dynkin diagram of Dr. The multiplicity of independent solutions at each extremal node is given by the dimension of the fundamental representation. We further derive certain factorisation formulas among these solutions and build transfer matrices with oscillators in the auxiliary space from the introduced degenerate Lax matrices. Finally, we provide some evidence that the constructed transfer matrices are Baxter Q-operators for so(2r) spin chains by verifying certain QQ-relations for D4 at low lengths.