Wigner quantum systems. Two particles interacting via a harmonic potential. I. Two-dimensional space

Abstract

A noncanonical quantum system, consisting of two nonrelativistic particles, interacting via a harmonic potential, is considered. The center-of-mass position and momentum operators obey the canonical commutation relations, whereas the internal variables are assumed to be the odd generators of the Lie superalgebra sl(1,2). This assumption implies a set of constraints in the phase space, which are explicitly written in the paper. All finite-dimensional irreducible representations of sl(1,2) are considered. Particular attention is paid to the physical representations, i.e., the representations corresponding to Hermitian position and momentum operators. The properties of the physical observables are investigated. In particular, the operators of the internal Hamiltonian, the relative distance, the internal momentum, and the orbital momentum commute with each other. The spectrum of these operators is finite. The distance between the constituents is preserved in time. It can take no more than three different values. For any non-negative integer or half-integer l there exists a representation, where the orbital momentum is l (in units of 2ℏ). The position of any one of the particles cannot be localized, since the operators of the coordinates do not commute with each other. The constituents are smeared with a certain probability within a finite surface, which moves with a constant velocity together with the center of mass.