Star product for para-Grassmann algebra of order two (Q2025764)

In the algebra of Grassmann numbers the star-product is treated as a deformation of the usual ``pointwise'' product. This noncommutative associative product arises frequently in quantizing the classical theory in the case where the phase space is a nontrivial manifold. Let $C$ be an infinite field of characteristic different from 2, and let $V$ be a vector space over $C$ with a fixed basis $e_1, e_2,\dots$. The infinite-dimensional Grassmann algebra GR of $V$ over $C$ is the vector space with a basis consisting of 1 and all products $e_{i_1} e_{i_2}\dots e_{i_k}$ where $i1 < i2 <\dots < i_k$, $k\geq 1$. The multiplication (star product) in GR is induced by $e_ie_j =-e_je_i$ for all $i$ and $j$. The Grassmann algebra has a \(\mathbb{Z}_2\)-grading $\operatorname{GR} = \operatorname{GR}(0)\oplus \operatorname{GR}(1)$, where $\operatorname{GR}(0)$ is the vector space spanned by 1 and all products $e_{i_1} \dots e_{i_k}$ with even $k$ and \(\operatorname{GR}(1)\) is the vector space spanned by the products with odd $k$. In para-Grassmann algebra a noncommutative, associative star-product (the Moyal product), which is a direct generalization of the star-product in the algebra of Grassmann numbers is introduced. The term ``para-Grassmann'' was first introduced by \textit{A. J. Kalnay} [Rep. Math. Phys. 9, 9--13 (1976; Zbl 0329.15011)]. This generalization is a direct analogue of generalization of the Fermi operators to the case of the para-Fermi operators in parastatistics. In the para-Grassmann algebra the authors enter a noncommutative and associative star-product (the Moyal product) in the parafermionic coherent state framework, which in fact represents an integral convolution of a certain type of two para-Grassmann-valued functions. This is a direct generalization of a similar product in Grassmann algebra. This product arises naturally in calculating the matrix elements of complicated operator expressions in the basis of parafermion coherent states. The star-product enables one to have a better understanding of a connection between the algebra of creation and annihilation operators of para-Fermi particles and the para-Grassmann algebra equipped with the star-product, making them in fact isomorphic as it takes place for the usual fermionic operators and Grassmann variables. The authors of the present paper consider an aspect of algebra of para-Grassmann numbers that can be used in the problem of the construction of a path integral for a system of identical particles obeying parastatistics. They introduce the definition of the para-Grassmann algebra of arbitrary order \(p\), the notions of integration and differentiation in this algebra, change of variables in integrals, Fourier transformation and so on. They also define the notions of coherent states for the para-Fermi operators and written out the formula of resolution of the identity. They construct the path integral for the para-Fermi fields with the use of para-Grassmann variables following the definition of the path integral as the limit of a product of time evolution operators for small time intervals. The authors use two different approaches. One consists in reducing the integration over the para-Grassmann variables to calculating certain operator expressions averaged over the vacuum state. The calculation boils down to a shift of the annihilation operators to the right until the vacuum conditions can be employed. Another one is to separate by hand from various contributions to the integral only those which give nontrivial result when an integration is performed. For this approach the authors make use of the simple fact that the integral with respect to para-Grassmann variable of order \(p\) is not vanishing only when the integrand contains this para-Grassmann variable exactly to the power of $p$. Two different approaches to calculating the star-product allow one to verify independently the results of calculations which become more complicated when the order $p$ increases.