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implementing linear operators

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg33090] implementing linear operators
  • From: Christopher Maierle <chris at chaos.Physik.uni-dortmund.de>
  • Date: Fri, 1 Mar 2002 06:52:08 -0500 (EST)
  • Organization: Universitaet Dortmund
  • Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Hi,

I figure this question has been covered somewhere but I can't find
quite the answer I'm looking for in the archives.  Here's my problem:

I essentially want to implement an algebra for non-commutative
linear operators.  I'm pretty sure that the noncommutative algebra
package can do what I want but I'd rather not use a large package
that I don't understand for what I think is a small problem.
So, carrying on...   If I define:

x[y] = I z
x[z] = -I y
z[y] = I x  

then I can calculate x acting on y by writing

x @ y

If I want to calculate x acting on (y + z) then the
above definitions won't work because x[y+z] is not defined.  This
is easy to fix though if I add the rule

x[o1_ + o2_] = x[o1] + x[o2]
 
now x @ (y + z) gives what I want, namely  x y + x z  My problem
is that I can't see how to tell mathematica that acting (x + z)
on y should be x y + z y without unprotecting Plus and 
making the definition

(o1_ + o2_)[o3_] = o1[o3]+o2[o3]
 
Associating this definition with Plus makes me nervous but maybe
there is no problem here. Is the above a bad thing to do?  Is
there another solution?  (I could of course make the definition
a little safer by making a function myopsQ and writing
(o1_?myopsQ + o2_?myopsQ)[o3_?myopsQ] =  o1[o3]+o2[o3])

Thanks in advance for the help

chris maierle


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