Wigner’s little group and decomposition of Lorentz transformations
- 1 September 1989
- journal article
- conference paper
- Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Mathematical Physics
- Vol. 30 (9) , 2177-2180
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.528221
Abstract
It is shown how an arbitrary Lorentz transformation can be expressed in terms of elements of Wigner’s little group and its cosets. This yields a natural parametrization for the little group, while its coset members turn out to be helicity-preserving transformations. The associated Wigner angle and its relation to the actual change in helicity are discussed. Finally, the extension to zero-mass particles shows how the little group becomes a gauge transformation in that limit.Keywords
This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit:
- Decomposition of Lorentz transformationsJournal of Mathematical Physics, 1987
- Cylindrical group and massless particlesJournal of Mathematical Physics, 1987
- Eulerian parametrization of Wigner’s little groups and gauge transformations in terms of rotations in two-component spinorsJournal of Mathematical Physics, 1986
- Relativistic invariance as gauge invariance and high-intensity Compton scatteringPhysical Review D, 1978
- Relativistic Invariance and Quantum PhenomenaReviews of Modern Physics, 1957