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Quadratic algebra contractions and second-order superintegrable systems

Abstract
Quadratic algebras are generalizations of Lie algebras; they include the symmetry algebras of second-order superintegrable systems in two dimensions as special cases. The superintegrable systems are exactly solvable physical systems in classical and quantum mechanics. For constant curvature spaces, we show that the free quadratic algebras generated by the first- and second-order elements in the enveloping algebras of their Euclidean and orthogonal symmetry algebras correspond one-to-one with the possible superintegrable systems with potential defined on these spaces. We describe a contraction theory for quadratic algebras and show that for constant curvature superintegrable systems, ordinary Lie algebra contractions induce contractions of the quadratic algebras of the superintegrable systems that correspond to geometrical pointwise limits of the physical systems. One consequence is that by contracting function space realizations of representations of the generic superintegrable quantum system on the 2-sphere (which give the structure equations for Racah/Wilson polynomials) to the other superintegrable systems one obtains the full Askey scheme of orthogonal hypergeometric polynomials. © 2014 World Scientific Publishing Company.
Type
Journal Article
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
Kalnins, E. G., & Miller, W., Jr. (2014). Quadratic algebra contractions and second-order superintegrable systems. Analysis and Applications, 12(5), 583–612. http://doi.org/10.1142/S0219530514500377
Date
2014
Publisher
Degree
Supervisors
Rights
This is an author’s accepted version of an article published in the journal: Analysis and Applications. © 2014 World Scientific Publishing Company.