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Note that this article refers to O(1, 3) as the "Lorentz group", SO(1, 3) as the "proper Lorentz group", and SO + (1, 3) as the "restricted Lorentz group". Many authors (especially in physics) use the name "Lorentz group" for SO(1, 3) (or sometimes even SO + (1, 3)) rather than O(1, 3). When reading such authors it is important to keep clear ...
Lorentz transformations can be parametrized by rapidity φ for a boost in the direction of a three-dimensional unit vector ^ = (,,), and a rotation angle θ about a three-dimensional unit vector ^ = (,,) defining an axis, so ^ = (,,) and ^ = (,,) are together six parameters of the Lorentz group (three for rotations and three for boosts). The ...
The Lorentz group has some properties that makes it "agreeable" and others that make it "not very agreeable" within the context of representation theory; the group is simple and thus semisimple, but is not connected, and none of its components are simply connected. Furthermore, the Lorentz group is not compact. [31]
Under a proper orthochronous Lorentz transformation x → Λx in Minkowski space, all one-particle quantum states ψ j σ of spin j with spin z-component σ locally transform under some representation D of the Lorentz group: [12] [13] () where D(Λ) is some finite-dimensional representation, i.e. a matrix.
(The '3' refers to the three-dimensional space of an ordinary sphere.) Thus, the symmetry group of the sphere with proper rotations is SO(3). Any rotation preserves distances on the surface of the ball. The set of all Lorentz transformations form a group called the Lorentz group (this may be generalised to the Poincaré group).
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The derivative operators, and hence the energy and 3-momentum operators, are also non-invariant and change under Lorentz transformations. Under a proper orthochronous Lorentz transformation (r, t) → Λ(r, t) in Minkowski space, all one-particle quantum states ψ σ locally transform under some representation D of the Lorentz group: [13] [14]
In physics, the Lorentz group O(1,3) is of central importance, being the setting for electromagnetism and special relativity. (Some texts use O(3,1) for the Lorentz group; however, O(1,3) is prevalent in quantum field theory because the geometric properties of the Dirac equation are more natural in O(1,3).)