Geometric Transformations in Classical Phase Space and their Representation in Quantum Mechanics

Abstract

The geometry of classical phase space is determined by the Poisson bracket of functions on phase space. Canonical transformations of the classical coordinates and momenta are defined by the property that the fundamental Poisson brackets be preserved. In this section we shall study in detail the linear canonical transformations in phase space and their representations in quantum mechanics. The reason for developing these concepts is twofold. First of all there are a number of geometric transformations common to classical and quantum mechanics which appear naturally in the analysis of many-body systems. Examples are rotations of the three space coordinates, permutations of single-particle coordinates and transformations to various types of relative vectors. To these we shall add translations of coordinates and momenta and construct the operators which represent these geometric transformations in the Hilbert space of quantum mechanics. The second reason for dealing with these transformations is the fact that certain operators encountered in quantum mechanics may be interpreted as representatives of underlying geometric transformations in classical phase space. This applies in particular to dilatation operators and to Gaussian interactions. Recognition of the underlying geometric transformation allows us to reduce operator multiplication to combination on the geometric level like matrix multiplication.