Symplectic structures and dynamical symmetry groups

Abstract

Apart from the total energy, the two-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator possesses three independent constants of motion which, with the standard symplectic structure, generates a dynamical symmetry group isomorphic to SU(2). We show that, by suitably redefining the symplectic structure, any of these three constants of motion can be used as a Hamiltonian, and that the remaining two, together with the total energy, generate a dynamical symmetry group isomorphic to SU(1,1). We also show that the standard energy levels of the quantum two-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator and their degeneracies are obtained making use of the appropriate representations of SU(1,1), provided that the canonical commutation relations are modified according to the new symplectic structure. Whereas in classical mechanics the different symplectic structures lead to equivalent formulations of the equations of motion, in quantum mechanics the modifications of the commutation relations should be accompanied by modifications in the interpretation of the formalism in order to obtain results equivalent to those found with the common relations.