On the unitary irreducible representations of the universal covering group of the 3 + 2 deSitter group

ABSTRACT The unitary irreducible representations on a Hilbert space of the universal covering group G of the 3 + 2 deSitter group are determined, using Harish-Chandra's theory of semi-simple Lie groups. These irreducible representations of G are reduced out with respect to representations of the universal covering group K of the direct product R2 × R3 of a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional rotation group. It is convenient to distinguish between two types of irreducible representations of G, called ‘irreducible case’ and ‘reducible case’ representations. The former are more numerous in a certain sense, while the latter may be regarded as special cases. Let (j, µ) be an irreducible unitary representation of K, where j denotes the (ray) representation of R3 involved (2j is a non-negative integer) and µ that of R2 (µ is a real number). Then in an ‘irreducible case’ representation of G, each (j, µ) that occurs at all occurs with multiplicity j + ½ if 2j is odd, or j + ½ ± ½ if 2j is even. In a ‘reducible case’ representation of G, the multiplicity of the (j, µ)'s is smaller, and may even be 1 for all (j, µ)'s which occur. (The analogous problem for the 4 + 1 deSitter group has been solved by L. H. Thomas by reducing out the irreducible representations of the whole group with respect to those of the four-dimensional rotation group R4. However, each irreducible representation of the 4 + 1 deSitter group contains any irreducible representation of R4 at most once, so that the more general Harish-Chandra theory is not then needed to carry out the classification.) In an irreducible representation of G, only those irreducible representations (j, µ) of K may occur for which the fractional part of µ is fixed throughout the representation of G. This fractional part of µ helps to characterize the representations of G, as do the two polynomials in the infinitesimal elements, one of degree 2 and the other of degree 4, which generate all those polynomials which have the property of commuting with all members of the Lie algebra of G. Representations of the inhomogeneous Lorentz group may be obtained from representations of G by the process of contraction, as defined by Inonu and Wigner, just as representations of the former group may in turn be contracted to obtain representations of the Galilei group.