Angular Momentum II: Representations of su(2)

V. V. Mikhailov

L. C. Biedenharn, J. D. Louck

It has been the purpose of the monograph Angular Momentum in Quantum Physics (AMQP) to develop comprehensively those aspects of angular momentum theory that are required in carrying out research in modern physics and chemistry. The emphasis there was principally on physical concepts and the symmetry principles that underlie the general applicability of angular momentum theory to a broad area of physical phenomena. Mathematical techniques were introduced within the context of the physical concepts themselves. Physical applications of angular momentum theory are to a large extent applications of specific properties of Wigner or Racah functions (more generally of 3 n-j coefficients) or of the representation functions themselves. Such applications tend to emphasize the “numerical” aspects of these functions and thus obscure the relationships to other areas of mathematics. The purpose of the present monograph is to show by specific examples the many interrelations that exist between concepts originating in angular momentum theory and various areas of mathematics. It turns out that this is a substantial task—the diversity of the interrelations is far greater than might be thought. Even a brief acquaintance with the contents of AMQP will show that the concept that recurs again and again in physical applications is that of an irreducible tensor operator with respect to a group [in our case, SU (2), the quantal rotation group]. Indeed, it is this concept that carries the mathematical apparatus of the physical theory beyond the related but much simpler results of the Lie algebraic theory of the angular momentum itself and the implied representation theory of the group SU (2).

Wu-Sheng Dai, Mi Xie

Alireza Dehghani, Hossein Fakhri, B. Mojaveri

The Glauber minimum-uncertainty coherent states with two variables for Landau levels, based on the representation of Weyl-Heisenberg algebra by two different modes, have been studied about four decades ago. Here, we introduce new two-variable coherent states with minimum uncertainty relationship for Landau levels in three different methods: the infinite unitary representation of su(1, 1) is realized in two different methods, first, by consecutive levels with the same energy gaps and also with the same value for z-angular momentum quantum number, then, by shifting z-angular momentum mode number by two units while the energy level remaining the same. Besides, for su(2), whether by lowest Landau levels or Landau levels with lowest z-angular momentum, just one finite unitary representation is introduced. Having constructed the generalized Klauder-Perelomov coherent states, for any of the three representations, we obtain their Glauber coherency by displacement operator of Weyl-Heisenberg algebra.

Stephen P. Martin