Magnetic translation groups as group extensions (Q1333419)

The author considers central group extensions \(0 \to G \to B \to T \to 1\) of an Abelian group \(G\) (playing the role of a gauge group) by a finite translation group \(T\) in two dimensions (so that \(T\) is the direct product of two cyclic groups \(\mathbb{Z}_{N_ 1}\) and \(\mathbb{Z}_{N_ 2}\)) with the trivial action of \(T\) on \(G\). This problem arises when considering quantum mechanical systems (with imposed Born-von Kármán periodic boundary conditions) involving the Weyl-Heisenberg group generated by the unitary operators of two canonically conjugated Hermitian operators, or a finite phase space (with one position space and one kinetic moment dimension), or the magnetic operator group for an electron moving in a plane perpendicular to an applied external magnetic field. Non-equivalent extensions, determined by applying a method originally developed by MacLane, are classified in terms of three parameters \(a\), \(b\), \(c\), elements of the Abelian group \(G\) and connected with full loops along the \(x\) and \(y\) axes and around a `plaquette', respectively. Two gauge groups \(G\) are taken as examples: \(G = \mathbb{Z}_ N\) and \(G = U(1)\). The latter case occurs for the magnetic translation groups: one then has \(a = b = 0\) and \(c \neq 0\), as \(c\) measures the magnetic flux through the plaquette. Within the same isomorphism class, one can take \(c = 1\), which corresponds to the choice of natural units.