SPECIAL VINBERG CONES

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the generalization of the Vinberg theory of homogeneous convex cones. Such a cone is described as the set of “positive definite matrices” in the Vinberg commutative algebra ℋn of Hermitian T-matrices. These algebras are a generalization of Euclidean Jordan algebras and consist of n × n matrices A = (aij), where aii ∈ ℝ, the entry aij for i < j belongs to some Euclidean vector space (Vij ; \U0001d524) and {a}_{ji}={a}_{ij}^{ast }=mathfrak{g}left({a}_{ij},cdot right)in {V}_{ij}^{ast } belongs to the dual space {V}_{ij}^{ast }. The multiplication of T-Hermitian matrices is defined by a system of “isometric” bilinear maps Vij × Vjk → Vij ; i < j < k, such that |aij ⋅ ajk| = |aij| ⋅ |aik|, alm ∈ Vlm. For n = 2, the Hermitian T-algebra ℋn= ℋ2 (V) is determined by a Euclidean vector space V and is isomorphic to a Euclidean Jordan algebra called the spin factor algebra and the associated homogeneous convex cone is the Lorentz cone of timelike future directed vectors in the Minkowski vector space ℝ1,1⊕ V . A special Vinberg Hermitian T-algebra is a rank 3 matrix algebra ℋ3(V; S) associated to a Clifford Cl(V )-module S together with an “admissible” Euclidean metric \U0001d524S.We generalize the construction of rank 2 Vinberg algebras ℋ2(V ) and special Vinberg algebras ℋ3(V; S) to the pseudo-Euclidean case, when V is a pseudo-Euclidean vector space and S = S0 ⊕ S1 is a ℤ2-graded Clifford Cl(V )-module with an admissible pseudo-Euclidean metric. The associated cone \U0001d4b1 is a homogeneous, but not convex cone in ℋm; m = 2; 3. We calculate the characteristic function of Koszul-Vinberg for this cone and write down the associated cubic polynomial. We extend Baez’ quantum-mechanical interpretation of the Vinberg cone \U0001d4b12 ⊂ ℋ2(V ) to the special rank 3 case.