Central extensions and physics (Q1105883)

At first the authors obtain the conditions under which a central extension of the Lie algebra of a given Lie group determines a central extension of this Lie group. Then they show that exactly the same construction as in the mentioned extension procedure is used in the process of prequantization (the first step of geometric quantization). This fact makes it possible to discuss the relation between prequantization and quantum mechanics. For example they show that the Schrödinger equation may be interpreted as the (unique) lift of the Hamiltonian vector field from the (infinite dimensional) symplectic manifold to the prequantization bundle.