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Representation Theory Of SU(2)
In the study of the representation theory of Lie groups, the study of representations of SU(2) is fundamental to the study of representations of semisimple Lie groups. It is the first case of a Lie group that is both a compact group and a non-abelian group. The first condition implies the representation theory is discrete: representations are direct sums of a collection of basic irreducible representations (governed by the Peter–Weyl theorem). The second means that there will be irreducible representations in dimensions greater than 1. SU(2) is the universal covering group of SO(3), and so its representation theory includes that of the latter, by dint of a surjective homomorphism to it. This underlies the significance of SU(2) for the description of non-relativistic spin in theoretical physics; see below for other physical and historical context. As shown below, the finite-dimensional irreducible representations of SU(2) are indexed by a non-negative integer m and have di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Representation Theory
Representation theory is a branch of mathematics that studies abstract algebra, abstract algebraic structures by ''representing'' their element (set theory), elements as linear transformations of vector spaces, and studies Module (mathematics), modules over these abstract algebraic structures. In essence, a representation makes an abstract algebraic object more concrete by describing its elements by matrix (mathematics), matrices and their algebraic operations (for example, matrix addition, matrix multiplication). The algebraic objects amenable to such a description include group (mathematics), groups, associative algebras and Lie algebras. The most prominent of these (and historically the first) is the group representation, representation theory of groups, in which elements of a group are represented by invertible matrices such that the group operation is matrix multiplication. Representation theory is a useful method because it reduces problems in abstract algebra to problems ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quaternion
In mathematics, the quaternion number system extends the complex numbers. Quaternions were first described by the Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space. The algebra of quaternions is often denoted by (for ''Hamilton''), or in blackboard bold by \mathbb H. Quaternions are not a field, because multiplication of quaternions is not, in general, commutative. Quaternions provide a definition of the quotient of two vectors in a three-dimensional space. Quaternions are generally represented in the form a + b\,\mathbf i + c\,\mathbf j +d\,\mathbf k, where the coefficients , , , are real numbers, and , are the ''basis vectors'' or ''basis elements''. Quaternions are used in pure mathematics, but also have practical uses in applied mathematics, particularly for calculations involving three-dimensional rotations, such as in three-dimensional computer graphics, computer vision, robotics, magnetic resonance i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rotation Group SO(3)
In mechanics and geometry, the 3D rotation group, often denoted SO(3), is the group of all rotations about the origin of three-dimensional Euclidean space \R^3 under the operation of composition. By definition, a rotation about the origin is a transformation that preserves the origin, Euclidean distance (so it is an isometry), and orientation (i.e., ''handedness'' of space). Composing two rotations results in another rotation, every rotation has a unique inverse rotation, and the identity map satisfies the definition of a rotation. Owing to the above properties (along composite rotations' associative property), the set of all rotations is a group under composition. Every non-trivial rotation is determined by its axis of rotation (a line through the origin) and its angle of rotation. Rotations are not commutative (for example, rotating ''R'' 90° in the x-y plane followed by ''S'' 90° in the y-z plane is not the same as ''S'' followed by ''R''), making the 3D rotation grou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Weyl Character Formula
In mathematics, the Weyl character formula in representation theory describes the characters of irreducible representations of compact Lie groups in terms of their highest weights. It was proved by . There is a closely related formula for the character of an irreducible representation of a semisimple Lie algebra. In Weyl's approach to the representation theory of connected compact Lie groups, the proof of the character formula is a key step in proving that every dominant integral element actually arises as the highest weight of some irreducible representation. Important consequences of the character formula are the Weyl dimension formula and the Kostant multiplicity formula. By definition, the character \chi of a representation \pi of ''G'' is the trace of \pi(g), as a function of a group element g\in G. The irreducible representations in this case are all finite-dimensional (this is part of the Peter–Weyl theorem); so the notion of trace is the usual one from linear algeb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maximal Torus
In the mathematical theory of compact Lie groups a special role is played by torus subgroups, in particular by the maximal torus subgroups. A torus in a compact Lie group ''G'' is a compact, connected, abelian Lie subgroup of ''G'' (and therefore isomorphic to the standard torus T''n''). A maximal torus is one which is maximal among such subgroups. That is, ''T'' is a maximal torus if for any torus ''T''′ containing ''T'' we have ''T'' = ''T''′. Every torus is contained in a maximal torus simply by dimensional considerations. A noncompact Lie group need not have any nontrivial tori (e.g. R''n''). The dimension of a maximal torus in ''G'' is called the rank of ''G''. The rank is well-defined since all maximal tori turn out to be conjugate. For semisimple groups the rank is equal to the number of nodes in the associated Dynkin diagram. Examples The unitary group U(''n'') has as a maximal torus the subgroup of all diagonal matrices. That is, : T = \left\. ''T'' is c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Compact Group
In mathematics, a compact (topological) group is a topological group whose topology realizes it as a compact topological space (when an element of the group is operated on, the result is also within the group). Compact groups are a natural generalization of finite groups with the discrete topology and have properties that carry over in significant fashion. Compact groups have a well-understood theory, in relation to group actions and representation theory. In the following we will assume all groups are Hausdorff spaces. Compact Lie groups Lie groups form a class of topological groups, and the compact Lie groups have a particularly well-developed theory. Basic examples of compact Lie groups include * the circle group T and the torus groups T''n'', * the orthogonal group O(''n''), the special orthogonal group SO(''n'') and its covering spin group Spin(''n''), * the unitary group U(''n'') and the special unitary group SU(''n''), * the compact forms of the exceptional Lie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Character (mathematics)
In mathematics, a character is (most commonly) a special kind of function from a group to a field (such as the complex numbers). There are at least two distinct, but overlapping meanings. Other uses of the word "character" are almost always qualified. Multiplicative character A multiplicative character (or linear character, or simply character) on a group ''G'' is a group homomorphism from ''G'' to the multiplicative group of a field , usually the field of complex numbers. If ''G'' is any group, then the set Ch(''G'') of these morphisms forms an abelian group under pointwise multiplication. This group is referred to as the character group of ''G''. Sometimes only ''unitary'' characters are considered (thus the image is in the unit circle); other such homomorphisms are then called ''quasi-characters''. Dirichlet characters can be seen as a special case of this definition. Multiplicative characters are linearly independent, i.e. if \chi_1,\chi_2, \ldots , \chi_n are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Representation Theory Of Semisimple Lie Algebras
In mathematics, the representation theory of semisimple Lie algebras is one of the crowning achievements of the theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras. The theory was worked out mainly by E. Cartan and H. Weyl and because of that, the theory is also known as the Cartan–Weyl theory. The theory gives the structural description and classification of a finite-dimensional representation of a semisimple Lie algebra (over \mathbb); in particular, it gives a way to parametrize (or classify) irreducible finite-dimensional representations of a semisimple Lie algebra, the result known as the theorem of the highest weight. There is a natural one-to-one correspondence between the finite-dimensional representations of a simply connected compact Lie group ''K'' and the finite-dimensional representations of the complex semisimple Lie algebra \mathfrak g that is the complexification of the Lie algebra of ''K'' (this fact is essentially a special case of the Lie group–Lie algebra corresponden ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schur's Lemma
In mathematics, Schur's lemma is an elementary but extremely useful statement in representation theory of groups and algebras. In the group case it says that if ''M'' and ''N'' are two finite-dimensional irreducible representations of a group ''G'' and ''φ'' is a linear map from ''M'' to ''N'' that commutes with the action of the group, then either ''φ'' is invertible, or ''φ'' = 0. An important special case occurs when ''M'' = ''N'', i.e. ''φ'' is a self-map; in particular, any element of the center of a group must act as a scalar operator (a scalar multiple of the identity) on ''M''. The lemma is named after Issai Schur who used it to prove the Schur orthogonality relations and develop the basics of the representation theory of finite groups. Schur's lemma admits generalisations to Lie groups and Lie algebras, the most common of which are due to Jacques Dixmier and Daniel Quillen. Representation theory of groups Representation theory is the study of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Universal Enveloping Algebra
In mathematics, the universal enveloping algebra of a Lie algebra is the unital associative algebra whose representations correspond precisely to the representations of that Lie algebra. Universal enveloping algebras are used in the representation theory of Lie groups and Lie algebras. For example, Verma modules can be constructed as quotients of the universal enveloping algebra. In addition, the enveloping algebra gives a precise definition for the Casimir operators. Because Casimir operators commute with all elements of a Lie algebra, they can be used to classify representations. The precise definition also allows the importation of Casimir operators into other areas of mathematics, specifically, those that have a differential algebra. They also play a central role in some recent developments in mathematics. In particular, their dual provides a commutative example of the objects studied in non-commutative geometry, the quantum groups. This dual can be shown, by the Gelf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Casimir Element
In mathematics, a Casimir element (also known as a Casimir invariant or Casimir operator) is a distinguished element of the center of the universal enveloping algebra of a Lie algebra. A prototypical example is the squared angular momentum operator, which is a Casimir element of the three-dimensional rotation group. More generally, Casimir elements can be used to refer to ''any'' element of the center of the universal enveloping algebra. The algebra of these elements is known to be isomorphic to a polynomial algebra through the Harish-Chandra isomorphism. The Casimir element is named after Hendrik Casimir, who identified them in his description of rigid body dynamics in 1931. Definition The most commonly-used Casimir invariant is the quadratic invariant. It is the simplest to define, and so is given first. However, one may also have Casimir invariants of higher order, which correspond to homogeneous symmetric polynomials of higher order. Quadratic Casimir element Supp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mathematical Induction
Mathematical induction is a method for mathematical proof, proving that a statement P(n) is true for every natural number n, that is, that the infinitely many cases P(0), P(1), P(2), P(3), \dots all hold. This is done by first proving a simple case, then also showing that if we assume the claim is true for a given case, then the next case is also true. Informal metaphors help to explain this technique, such as falling dominoes or climbing a ladder: A proof by induction consists of two cases. The first, the base case, proves the statement for n = 0 without assuming any knowledge of other cases. The second case, the induction step, proves that ''if'' the statement holds for any given case n = k, ''then'' it must also hold for the next case n = k + 1. These two steps establish that the statement holds for every natural number n. The base case does not necessarily begin with n = 0, but often with n = 1, and possibly with any fixed natural number n = N, establishing the trut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
