Modules of third-order differential operators on a conformally flat manifold

Let \(M\) be a differentiable manifold and let \({\mathcal F}_\lambda(M)\) be the space of smooth densities of degree \(\lambda\) on \(M\). In particular, \( {\mathcal F}_0(M) = C^\infty(M)\). Denote the space of linear differential operators of order \(\leq k\) from \({\mathcal F}_\lambda(M)\) to \({\mathcal F}_\mu(M)\) by \({\mathcal D}^k_{\lambda,\mu}(M)\). Let \(S^k(M)\) be the space of polynomials on \(T^*M\) of degree \(\leq k\) and put \(S^k_\delta(M) := S^k(M) \otimes {\mathcal F}_\delta(M)\). The diffeomorphism group \(\text{Diff}(M)\) and its Lie algebra \(\text{Vect}(M)\), the space of smooth vector fields, act in a natural way on \({\mathcal D}^k_{\lambda,\mu}(M)\) and on \(S^k_\delta(M)\). NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINENow the spaces \({\mathcal D}^k_{\lambda,\mu}(M)\) of differential operators and \(S^k_{\mu-\lambda}(M)\) of symbols are \textit{not} isomorphic as \(\text{Diff}(M)\)-modules (nor as \(\text{Vect}(M)\)-modules). The problem of geometric quantization consists of finding ``good isomorphisms between these two spaces. In order to do this in an equivariant manner one has to restrict from \(\text{Diff}(M)\) to a (finite dimensional) subgroup \(G \subset\text{Diff}(M)\). NEWLINENEWLINENEWLINEFrom now on let \(M={\mathbb R}^n\) or, more generally, a conformally flat \(n\)-dimensional manifold. Then there is a (local) action of the conformal group \(G := \text{O}(p+1,q+1)\), \(p+q=n \geq 2\), on \(M\). The main result of the paper says that there is an isomorphism of \(\text{o}(p+1,q+1)\)-modules NEWLINE\[NEWLINE \sigma_{\lambda,\mu} : {\mathcal D}^3_{\lambda,\mu}(M) \to S^3_{\mu-\lambda}(M) NEWLINE\]NEWLINE except for 8 exceptional ``resonant values of \(\mu-\lambda\). This isomorphism is unique under the condition that the principal symbol be preserved at each order. The isomorphism \(\sigma_{\lambda,\mu}\) is called the conformally equivariant symbol map while its invers is called the conformally equivariant quantization map. The case of resonant values is also discussed. As an example, the geodesic flow is quantized. More precisely, \(\sigma^{-1}_{1/2,1/2}\) is applied to the quadratic Hamiltonian \(H\), \(H(\xi,\xi) = g(\xi,\xi)\), and yields the operator NEWLINE\[NEWLINE \sigma^{-1}_{1/2,1/2}(H) = \Delta - {n^2 \over 4(n-1)(n+2)}\text{Scal}.NEWLINE\]

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