An elementary, first principles approach to the indefinite spin groups

DOI10.1007/S00006-016-0671-0MaRDI QIDQ2361386zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Emily Herzig, Viswanath Ramakrishna

Publication date 30 June 2017

Published in Advances in Applied Clifford Algebras (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.04587

zbMATH Keywords

algebra of matricesbivectorsClifford conjugationdidacticexponentiationgroups of matricesindefiniteKronecker productslinear transformationquaternionsspin groups

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Linear transformations, semilinear transformations (15A04) Algebraic systems of matrices (15A30) Clifford algebras, spinors (15A66) Spinor and twistor methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81R25)

Abstract: In this work we provide an elementary derivation of the indefinite spin groups in low-dimensions. Our approach relies on the isomorphism of Cl(p+1, q+1) to the algebra 2x2 matrices with entries in Cl(p,q), simple properties of Kronecker products, characterization of when an even dimensional real (resp. complex) matrix represents a complex (resp. quaternionic) linear transformation, and basic aspects of the isomorphism between M(4, R) and the quaternion tensor product. Of these the last is arguably the most vital. Among other things it yields naturally, a surprisingly ubiquitous role for an alternative to the standard representation of the symplectic form in dimension four. Our approach has the benefit of identifying these spin groups as explicit groups of matrices within the same collection of matrices which define $Cl(p,q)$. In other words, we do not work in the algebra of matrices that the collection of even vectors in $Cl(p,q)$ is isomorphic to. This is crucial in some applications and also has the advantage of being didactically simple.

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Cited in

(5)

• Group-algebraic characterization of spin particles: semi-simplicity, \(\mathrm{SO}(2N)\) structure and Iwasawa decomposition
• Basis states for equivalent electrons. II: States for the Lie group \(\text{Sp}(4l+2)\).
• Representation of Spin group Spin(p,q)
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 2151255 (Why is no real title available?)
• Degenerate spin groups as semi-direct products

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