\(C^*\)-algebraic quantization and the origin of topological quantum effects (Q1813825)

The author considers a configuration space \(Q\) which is a symmetric space \(G/H\) for a locally compact group \(G\) and its closed subgroup \(H\). Following Segal-Haag-Kastler, the quantization amounts to specifying a \(C^*\)-algebra \({\mathcal A}\), where the selfadjoint elements will be the observables. In Section 2 the algebra \({\mathcal A}\) is defined as the crossed product \(C_ 0(Q)\times_ \alpha G\) introduced as follows. First there is defined the semidirect product bundle \({\mathcal S}\), whose base space is \(G\) and whose fibers are isomorphic to the \(C^*\)-algebra \(C_ 0(Q)\) on which \(G\) acts via *-automorphisms \(\alpha_ x\), \(\alpha_ x[\varphi](q)=\varphi(x^{-1}q)\), where \(\varphi\in C_ 0(Q)\), and \(x\to xq\) denotes the action of \(G\) on \(Q\). Elements of the bundle are pairs \(\langle A, x\rangle\), \(A\in C_ 0(Q)\), \(x\in G\), with multiplication \(\langle A,x\rangle \langle B,y\rangle=\langle A\alpha_ x[B],xy\rangle\) and the adjoint \(\langle A,x\rangle^*=\langle \alpha_{x^{-1}}[A^*],x^{-1}\rangle\). Then the crossed product is the canonical \(C^*\)-completion of the \(L^ 1\)-cross-sectional algebra of \({\mathcal S}\) equipped with the usual convolution product and the involution \(f^*(x)=\Delta(x^{-1})f(x^{-1})^*\), \(\Delta\)=the modular function on \(G\). The irreducible representations of the crossed product are in one-to-one correspondence with irreducible unitary representations of \(H\) --- this point is further elaborated, sections \(f\) of \({\mathcal S}\) being identified with functions on \(Q\times G\). Section 3 deals with examples: \(Q=\mathbb{R}\), \(\mathbb{R}^ 3\), \(\mathbb{R}^ 3-\{0\}=S^ 2\times\mathbb{R}\), \(\mathbb{R}\times\mathbb{R}\times S^ 1\) with appropriately adjusted \(G\)-s and \(H\)-s. The dynamics and topological actions are discussed in Section 4, and the magnetic monopole and the Aharonov-Bohm effect in Sections 5 and 6 respectively.