A categorical framework for the quantum harmonic oscillator

This paper describes how the structure of the state space of the quantum harmonic oscillator can be described by an adjunction of categories, that encodes the raising and lowering operators into a commutative comonoid. The formulation is an entirely general one in which Hilbert spaces play no special role. Generalised coherent states arise through the hom-set isomorphisms defining the adjunction, and we prove that they are eigenstates of the lowering operators. Surprisingly, generalised exponentials also emerge naturally in this setting, and we demonstrate that coherent states are produced by the exponential of a raising morphism acting on the zero-particle state. Finally, we examine all of these constructions in a suitable category of Hilbert spaces, and find that they reproduce the conventional mathematical structures.Comment: 44 pages, many figure

Fourier duality for fractal measures with affine scales

For a family of fractal measures, we find an explicit Fourier duality. The measures in the pair have compact support in \br^d, and they both have the same matrix scaling. But the two use different translation vectors, one by a subset $B$ in \br^d, and the other by a related subset $L$. Among other things, we show that there is then a pair of infinite discrete sets $\Gamma(L)$ and $\Gamma(B)$ in \br^d such that the $\Gamma(L)$-Fourier exponentials are orthogonal in $L^2(\mu_B)$, and the $\Gamma(B)$-Fourier exponentials are orthogonal in $L^2(\mu_L)$. These sets of orthogonal "frequencies" are typically lacunary, and they will be obtained by scaling in the large. The nature of our duality is explored below both in higher dimensions and for examples on the real line. Our duality pairs do not always yield orthonormal Fourier bases in the respective $L^2(\mu)$-Hilbert spaces, but depending on the geometry of certain finite orbits, we show that they do in some cases. We further show that there are new and surprising scaling symmetries of relevance for the ergodic theory of these affine fractal measures.Comment: v

The reproducing kernel structure arising from a combination of continuous and discrete orthogonal polynomials into Fourier systems

We study mapping properties of operators with kernels defined via a combination of continuous and discrete orthogonal polynomials, which provide an abstract formulation of quantum (q-) Fourier type systems. We prove Ismail conjecture regarding the existence of a reproducing kernel structure behind these kernels, by establishing a link with Saitoh theory of linear transformations in Hilbert space. The results are illustrated with Fourier kernels with ultraspherical weights, their continuous q-extensions and generalizations. As a byproduct of this approach, a new class of sampling theorems is obtained, as well as Neumann type expansions in Bessel and q-Bessel functions.Comment: 16 pages; Title changed, major reformulations. To appear in Constr. Appro