Admissible cyclic representations and an algebraic approach to quantum phase

Abstract

Nonadmissible, weakly admissible and admissible cyclic representations and other algebraic properties of the generalized homographic oscillator (GHO) are studied in detail. For certain ranges of the deformation parameter, it is shown that this new deformed oscillator is a prototype cyclic oscillator endowed with a non-negative (admissible) spectrum. By changing the deformation parameter, the cyclic spectrum can be tuned to have an arbitrarily large period. It is shown that the standard harmonic oscillator is recovered at the nonadmissible infinite-period limit of the GHO. With these properties, the GHO provides a concrete example of an oscillator rich in a variety of cyclic representations. It is well known that such representations are of relevance to the proper algebraic formulation of the quantum-phase operator. Using a general scheme, it is shown that admissible cyclic algebras permit a well-defined Hermitian phase operator of which properties are studied in detail at finite periods as well as at the infinite-period limit. Fujikawa's index approach is applied to admissible cyclic representations and in particular to the phase operator in such algebras. Using the specific example of GHO it is confirmed that the infinite-period limit is distinctively singular. The connection with the Pegg-Barnett phase formalism is established in this singular limit as the period of the cyclic representations tends to infinity. The singular behaviour at this limit identifies the algebraic problems, in a concrete example, emerging in the formulation of a standard quantum harmonic-oscillator phase operator.