MathGroup Archive 2004

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

Defining anti-symmetric operation. New ideas requested.

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg47223] Defining anti-symmetric operation. New ideas requested.
  • From: Oleksandr Pavlyk <pavlyk at phys.psu.edu>
  • Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 02:58:00 -0500 (EST)
  • Organization: Penn State University; Department of Physics
  • Reply-to: pavlyk at phys.psu.edu
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Dear MathGroup,

In order to explain the problem I would need to
say few words about what I am trying to accomplish.
So please bear with me.

I am often define bare bones of a Lie algebra,
and check its consistency by Mathematica. To that
end I have some generators, and I define their
commutation relation. As an example let us take
SU(2) with 3 generators  H[], X[], Y[]

To define the algebra I write

    Commute[ H[], X[] ] = Y[]
    Commute[ X[], Y[] ] = H[]
    Commute[ Y[], H[] ] = X[]

now because of properties of Commute,

Commute[ OperatorA, OperatorB ] = - Commute[OperatorB, OperatorA]

So far I am realizing this property by defining

    Commute[ X[], H[] ] := -Commute[ H[], X[] ]
    Commute[ Y[], X[] ] := -Commute[ X[], Y[] ]
    Commute[ H[], Y[] ] := -Commute[ Y[], H[] ]

So I come to my question. I would like Mathematica to
define automatically

    Commute[OperatorB, OperatorA]

every time I define Commute[OperatorA, OperatorB].

I tried to approach the problem by examining
DownValues of Commute.

(* This is evaluated if no direct definition was matched *)
Commute[a_, b_]:=Module[{res},
   res = HoldComplete[Commute[b,a]]/.DownValues[Commute];
   If[ res === HoldComplete[Commute[b,a]], (* If nothing in DownValues *)
         Return[0]      (* we declare everything else commuting *)
       ,
         Return[ -ReleaseHold[res] ]
   ]
]

This definition indeed gives Commute[ X[], H[] ] = -Y[], but if I try
it on some undefined generators

   Commute[ J[], H[] ]

I get infinite recursion, which is there because the very definition
of trick solving part of Commute is also in DownValues, and hence we get

  res = HoldComplete[ Module[{},.... ] ]

Any ideas on how to encode anti-symmetric properties of Commute would
be very appreciated.

I am sorry for slightly long post. The Mathematica notebook with the
code is posted at

    http://www.pavlyk.com/SU(2).nb

Thank you,
Sasha


  • Prev by Date: Re: Constant function Integrate Assumption
  • Next by Date: Re: Infrequent Mathematica User
  • Previous by thread: Re: AW: Re: Music to Mathematica
  • Next by thread: Multifractal Spectrum of time series