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New Algebraic Representations of Quantum Mechanics

Shun-Jin Wang

Published Aug 1, 1990• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Contrary to the usual view that quantum mechanics in configuration space has, in general, only one algebaic representation( the Heisenberg algebraic representation), we have proved that quantum mechanics in configuration space has, in general, alternative algebraic representations: (i) In a finite domain of configuration space, it can be expressed in terms of su(2) algebra; (ii) in an infinite domain of configuration space, it can be expressed in terms of su(l,l) algebra.The above results open a new possibility to reformulate quantum mechanics and provide more mathematical tools to solve diverse physical problems.Nonlinear relations of different Lie algebas may imply a unification of Lie algebras and their physical implications ( the quantum motion modes ) in a deeper nonlinear domain.This observation raises challenging mathematical and physical questions.

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Contrary to the usual view that quantum mechanics in configuration space has, in general, only one algebaic representation( the Heisenberg algebraic representation), we have proved that quantum mechanics in configuration space has, in general, alternative algebraic representations: (i) In a finite domain of configuration space, it can be expressed in terms of su(2) algebra; (ii) in an infinite domain of configuration space, it can be expressed in terms of su(l,l) algebra.The above results open a new possibility to reformulate quantum mechanics and provide more mathematical tools to solve diverse physical problems.Nonlinear relations of different Lie algebas may imply a unification of Lie algebras and their physical implications ( the quantum motion modes ) in a deeper nonlinear domain.This observation raises challenging mathematical and physical questions.
About 15 years ago, we (Heinz-Dietrich Doebner and I) proposed a special type of nonlinear modification of the usual Schrödinger time-evolution equation in quantum mechanics. Our equation was motivated by certain unitary representations of the group of diffeomorphisms of physical space, in the framework of either nonrelativistic local current algebra or quantum Borel kinematics. Subsequently, we developed this and related approaches to nonlinearity in quantum mechanics considerably further, to incorporate theories of measurement, groups of nonlinear gauge transformations, symmetry and invariance properties, unification of a large family of nonlinear perturbations, and possible physical contexts for quantum nonlinearity. Some of our results and highlights of some open questions are summarized.
The Hilbert space of quantum mechanics has a dual representation in lattice theory, called the Hilbert lattice. In addition to offering the potential for new insights, the lattice-theoretical approach may be computationally efficient for certain kinds of quantum mechanics problems, particularly if, in the future, we are able to exploit what may be a “natural” fit with quantum computation. The equations that hold in the Hilbert space lattice representation are not completely known and are poorly understood, although much progress has been made in the last several years. This work contributes to the development of these equations, with special attention to the so-called generalized orthoarguesian equations. Many new results that do not appear in the literature are given, along with their detailed proofs. In addition, possible approaches for work towards answering some remaining open questions are discussed.
The Wigner problem, i.e. the investigation of general quantum mechanical commutation relations consistent with the Heisenberg evolution equations of a given shape, is studied. We follow a recently proposed generalization of this idea within which the classical analogy is postulated only for the shape of the time evolution equations and not for a Hamiltonian itself. This links our investigation to the problem of alternative Hamiltonians of classical mechanics and to canonically inequivalent phase-space descriptions of physical systems governed by the same Newton equations of motion. Warned that the time evolution and the other symmetry generators may be given ambiguously even in the formalism of classical mechanics, we do not a priori assume the shape of their quantum analogues. Instead we only require that the set of basic algebraic relations, which quantum mechanical observables are to obey, has a Lie algebra structure. Such a requirement appears to be sufficient to find solutions for simple oscillator-like dynamics. New algebras of quantum mechanical observables are not constructed as a linear envelope of the Heisenberg algebra, and their representations reflect physical results unexpected in the framework of the canonical approach. We illustrate our approach in detail for the example of the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator using the representation of the generalized coherent states.
Within an algebraic framework of non-associative quantum mechanics, a Hilbert space and the corresponding Schroedinger equation have been introduced into the theory as follows. The underlying non-associative operator algebra A is assumed to be flexible and Lie-admissible so that it is compatible with the Heisenberg equation of motion and quantization. A Hilbert space can be introduced into the theory as a faithful representation of the associated Lie algebra A/sup -/ of the Lie-admissible algebra A. However, if A/sup -/ is the standard Heisenberg algebra, and if the representation is irreducible, then it is shown that A must be associative, reproducing the standard associative quantum mechanics. Some discussions to circumvent this No-Go theorem are discussed. Especiallyyu if we are interested in the formulation of infinite component wave equations, then this difficulty can be avoided.
Quantum mechanics (QM) is not just a theory of micro-objects: it is our current fundamental theory of motion. It expresses a deeper understanding of Nature than classical mechanics. Precisely as classical mechanics, the conventional formulation of QM describes evolution of states and observables in time. Precisely as classical mechanics, this is not sufficient to deal with general relativistic systems, because these systems do not describe evolution in time; they describe correlations between observables. Therefore, a formulation of QM slightly more general than the conventional one – or a quantum version of the relativistic classical mechanics discussed in the previous chapter – is needed. In this chapter I discuss the possibility of such a formulation. In the last section I discuss the general physical interpretation of QM. QM can be formulated in a number of more or less equivalent formalisms: canonical (Hilbert spaces and self-adjoint operators), covariant (Feynman's sum-over-histories), algebraic (states as linear functionals over an abstract algebra of observables) and others. Generally, but not always, we are able to translate these formalisms into one another, but often what is easy in one formulation is difficult in another. A generalrelativistic sum-over-histories formalism has been developed by Jim Hartle. Here I focus on the canonical formalism, because the canonical formalism has provided the mathematical completeness and precision needed to explicitly construct the mathematical apparatus of quantum gravity. Later I will consider alternative formalisms.
In Quantum Mechanics operators must be hermitian and, in a direct product space, symmetric. These properties are saved by Lie algebra operators but not by those of quantum algebras. A possible correspondence between observables and quantum algebra operators is suggested by extending the definition of matrix elements of a physical observable, including the eventual projection on the appropriate symmetric space. This allows to build in the Lie space of representations one-parameter families of operators belonging to the enveloping Lie algebra that satisfy an approximate symmetry and have the properties required by physics.