Physlib.QuantumMechanics.OperatorAlgebra.Dynamics.Automorphism
Automorphisms of the bounded operators
Reversible transformations of a quantum system act on its observable algebra by ⋆-automorphisms.
For a complex Hilbert space `H`, every ⋆-automorphism of `B(H)` is implemented by unitary conjugation: `A ↦ U A U⋆`.
Two unitaries implement the same transformation exactly when they differ by a scalar phase. Consequently, `Aut⋆(B(H)) ≅ U(H) / U(1) ≅ PU(H)`, the projective unitary group.
For Hamiltonian dynamics, this projective ambiguity corresponds to the freedom to shift a Hamiltonian by a scalar multiple of the identity.
5 declarations
Every -automorphism of is a unitary conjugation
Let be a complex Hilbert space and be the algebra of bounded linear operators on . Every -algebra -automorphism is implemented by unitary conjugation. That is, for any such -automorphism , there exists a unitary operator such that for all .
Equality of unitary automorphisms of iff unitaries differ by a scalar phase
Let be a complex Hilbert space and denote the algebra of bounded linear operators on . For any two unitary operators , the -automorphisms of implemented by conjugation—defined by and respectively—are equal if and only if there exists a scalar phase (i.e., a complex number with ) such that .
Projective unitary group
Let be a complex Hilbert space. The **projective unitary group** is defined as the quotient of the group of unitary operators by the kernel of the conjugation homomorphism , which maps a unitary to the -automorphism . This quotient identifies unitary operators that differ only by a scalar phase (where ).
is a group
Let be a complex Hilbert space. The projective unitary group is equipped with a group structure. This structure is the quotient group structure derived from the unitary group and the kernel of the conjugation homomorphism .
Group isomorphism
Let be a complex Hilbert space and be the algebra of bounded linear operators on . There is a group isomorphism between the projective unitary group and the group of -algebra -automorphisms of , denoted by . This isomorphism identifies each projective unitary (an equivalence class of unitaries ) with the unique -automorphism it implements via conjugation, .
