The structure and representations of a \(C^*\)-algebra associated to the super-Poincaré group (Q2639976)

The authors investigate the representation theory of a class of algebras associated to a semi-direct product of a group L and a graded Lie algebra \({\mathfrak n}={\mathfrak n}_ 0\oplus {\mathfrak n}_ 1\), where the even subalgebra \({\mathfrak n}_ 0\) is central in \({\mathfrak n}\) and \({\mathfrak n}_ 0\) is the Lie algebra of a vector group \(N_ 0\). In the case of the super Poincaré group one has \(L=SL(2,C)\) and \({\mathfrak n}\) is the algebra of supertranslations. After stating some elementary facts of space-time supertranslations the authors consider the action of the vector group \(N_ 0\) on the convolution algebra of Schwartz functions \({\mathcal S}(N_ 0)\) given by \[ (X\circ a)(v):=(d/dt)a(\exp (-tX)v)|_{t=0}\quad (X\in {\mathfrak n}_ 0,\quad a\in {\mathcal S}(N_ 0),\quad v\in N_ 0), \] while the supertranslation will be incorporated throught the complexified universal enveloping algebra \({\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n})\). These algebras can be equipped with two natural involutions, so that \({\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n})\otimes {\mathcal S}(N_ 0)\) becomes a \({}^*\)-algebra. Any representation M of the \({}^*\)-algebra \({\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n})\otimes {\mathcal S}(N_ 0)\) satisfying the compatibility relation \(M(AX\otimes a)=M(A\otimes X\circ a)\) (A\(\in {\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n})\), \(a\in {\mathcal S}(N_ 0)\), \(X\in {\mathfrak n}_ 0)\) vanishes on the subspace \[ I:=span\{AX\otimes a-A\otimes X\circ a| A\in {\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n}),\quad a\in {\mathcal S}(N_ 0),\quad X\in {\mathfrak n}_ 0\}. \] Actually, the authors prove that i) the subspace I is in fact a \({}^*\)-ideal in \({\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n})\otimes {\mathcal S}(N_ 0)\), so that any compatible representation M can be lifted from the quotient \({}^*\)-algebra \({\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n})\otimes {\mathcal S}(N_ 0)/I\); ii) any \({}^*\)-homomorphism from \({\mathcal U}({\mathfrak n})\otimes {\mathcal S}(N_ 0)\) to a \(C^*\)-algebra must factor through the \(C^*\)-algebra of continuous Clifford algebra-valued fields over \({\mathfrak n}_ 0^+:=\{\xi \in {\mathfrak n}^*_ 0|\xi\) ([A,A])\(\geq 0\) (A\(\in {\mathfrak n}_ 1)\}.\) With these structural results at hand the authors are able to find the irreducible \({}^*\)-representations of the algebra \({\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)\), more precisely: iii) for \(\xi\in {\mathfrak n}_ 0^+\) let \(T_{\xi}\) be an irreducible representation of the Clifford algebra \(C_{\xi}\), then \[ M_{\xi}(A\otimes a):=(1\otimes \int_{N_ 0}\exp (i\xi (n))a(n)dn)T_{\xi}(A) \] defines an irreducible \({}^*\)- representation of \({\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)\), and conversely every nondegenerate irreducible representation is of this form; iv) the \(C^*\)-algebra \(\overline{{\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)}\) is of type I. Next the authors construct the \({}^*\)-representations of the crossed products of the \({}^*\)-algebra by L using the algebraic generalisation of Mackey's method due to \textit{M. Takesaki} [Acta Math. 119, 273-303 (1967; Zbl 0163.368)]. v) For \(\xi\in {\mathfrak n}_ 0^+\) let \(L_{\xi}\) be the subgroup of L which stabilises the equivalence class of the representation \(M_{\xi}\) of \({\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)\). Suppose that the action of L on \(\hat N_ 0\) is smooth and such that \(H^ 2(L,T)=0\). Let E be an irreducible unitary representation of \(L_{\xi}\), such that \[ (D\otimes E)(\lambda)(M_{\xi}(\alpha)\otimes 1)((D\otimes E)(\lambda))^{-1}=(M_{\xi}(\lambda,\alpha)\otimes 1)\text{ for } \alpha \in {\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0). \] Then the covariant \({}^*\)-representation of \({\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)\ltimes L_{\xi}\) induced from the covariant \({}^*\)-representation \((M_{\xi}\otimes D,D\otimes E)\) of the \(C^*\)-crossed product \({\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)\ltimes L\) is irreducible. vi) Conversely, every irreducible \({}^*\)-representation of \({\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)\ltimes L_{\xi}\) is of this form, and two such representations are equivalent if and only if the \(\xi\) 's lie on the same L-orbit and the E's are conjugate. Finally the authors show how the afore mentioned irreducible covariant representations of \({\mathcal S}({\mathfrak n},N_ 0)\ltimes L\) can be induced by the algebraic method of \textit{M. A. Rieffel} [Adv. Math. 13, 176-257 (1974; Zbl 0284.46040)] for the super-Poincaré group, where \(N_ 0\) is the Minkowski translation group and \({\mathfrak n}_ 1\) the Majorana spinors: vii) for \(\xi =(m,0,0,0)\), (m\(\neq 0)\) and a representation E of SU(2) the \({}^*\)-representation induced algebraically using a certain operator-valued inner product depending on E is irreducible, and viii) conversely, every massive irreducible \({}^*\)-representation is equivalent to one of this form. Last but not least the reduction of tensor products of irreducible representations is sketched by the authors.