Some aspects of normal quantisation (Q1086892): Difference between revisions

In the traditional formalism of classical mechanics the phase space for the physical system is described by a symplectic manifold (M,\(\omega)\) and the observables \({\mathcal A}\) form a Lie subalgebra of \(C^{\infty}(M)\) under the Poisson bracket [, \(\}\). In order for classical mechanics and quantum mechanics to be correctly related \textit{J. E. Moyal} [Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 45, 99-124 (1949; Zbl 0031.33601)] has shown in the case \(M=R^{2n}\) that the Lie algebra structure \(\{\), \(\}\) of \({\mathcal A}\) should be deformed to a new structure \(\{\) *\(\}\) (the Moyal bracket) so that \(\{f*g\}=\{f,g\}+O(\hslash^ 2)\) for f,g\(\in {\mathcal A}\) and \(\{f*g\}=\{f,g\}\) for \(f\in {\mathcal A}\) and \(g\in {\mathcal A}_ 0\), where \({\mathcal A}_ 0\) is the Lie subalgebra of \(C^{\infty}(M)\) spanned by the constant functions and the 2n coordinate functions \(\xi_ 1,...,\xi_{2n}\) of \(R^{2n}\); the algebra structure of pointwise multiplication on \(C^{\infty}(M)\) can be deformed to a new associative structure *, the so-called Moyal product on \(C^{\infty}(M)\), such that (1) \(f*g=f\cdot g+O(\hslash)\); (2) \(f*g-g*f=i\hslash \{f*g\}\) for all f,g\(\in {\mathcal A}\). \textit{C. Fronsdal} [Rep. Math. Phys. 15, 111-145 (1979; Zbl 0418.58011)] proposed that, for a general physical system with phase space (M,\(\omega)\), the algebra structure of the space \({\mathcal A}\) of observables should be deformed from pointwise multiplication to an associative structure * such that it satisfies the condition (1) for f,g\(\in {\mathcal A}\) and the condition (2) for \(f\in {\mathcal A}_ 0\), \(g\in {\mathcal A}\), where \({\mathcal A}_ 0\) is the Lie subalgebra of \(C^{\infty}(M)\) contained in \({\mathcal A}\) chosen to represent the basic geometrical symmetries of the system. Such structures * are called an \({\mathcal A}_ 0\)-invariant Fronsdal \({}^*\)-product on \({\mathcal A}\). Quantization of the classical system is now to be achieved by finding a representation of the algebra (\({\mathcal A},*)\). In this paper the authors study a generalization of the process of normal quantization which deals with a physical system whose phase space is given by a coadjoint orbit of a locally compact Lie group G. Under some conditions an algebra structure - implemented by a Fronsdal \({}^*\)-product - is assigned to the family of physical observables in such a way that the normal quantization provides a reprsentation of the algebra. This method, then, provides a useful means of determining a physically sensible Fronsdal \({}^*\)- product for a given system.