Localized Quantum States

Abstract

Let X be a symplectic manifold and Aut(L) the automorphism group of a Kostant-Souriau line bundle on X. *Quantum states for X*, as defined by J.-M. Souriau in the 1990s, are certain positive-definite functions on Aut(L) or, less ambitiously, on any "large enough" subgroup G of Aut(L). This definition has two major drawbacks: when G=Aut(L) there are no known examples; and when G is a Lie subgroup the notion is, as we shall see, far from selective enough. In this paper we introduce the concept of a quantum state *localized at Y*, where Y is a coadjoint orbit of a subgroup H of G. We show that such states exist, and tend to be unique when Y has lagrangian preimage in X. This solves, in a number of cases, A. Weinstein's "fundamental quantization problem" of attaching state vectors to lagrangian submanifolds.

29 pages, 4 figures. Added final section on Euclid's group. Rewrote abstract and introduction for journal publication, now that the Souriau Memorial Volume has been cancelled