1962/03/01 by David Finkelstein, J. M. Jauch, Samuel Schiminovich +1 · 9 citations
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Algebraic and Geometric Analysis #advanced mathematical theories #Advanced Mathematical Theories and Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.1063/1.1703794
openalex publication_date 1962/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
A new kind of quantum mechanics using inner products, matrix elements, and coefficients assuming values that are quaternionic (and thus noncommutative) instead of complex is developed. This is the most general kind of quantum mechanics possessing the same kind of calculus of assertions as conventional quantum mechanics. The role played by the new imaginaries is studied. The principal conceptual difficulty concerns the theory of composite systems where the ordinary tensor product fails due to noncommutativity. It is shown that the natural resolution of this difficulty introduces new degrees of freedom similar to isospin and hypercharge. The problem of the Schrödinger equation, ``which i should appear?'' is studied and a generalization of Stone's theorem is used to resolve this problem.