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JOURNALS // Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications // Archive

SIGMA, 2007 Volume 3, 079, 29 pp. (Mi sigma205)

This article is cited in 8 papers

Clifford Algebras and Possible Kinematics

Alan S. McRae

Department of Mathematics, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450-0303, USA

Abstract: We review Bacry and Lévy–Leblond's work on possible kinematics as applied to 2-dimensional spacetimes, as well as the nine types of 2-dimensional Cayley–Klein geometries, illustrating how the Cayley–Klein geometries give homogeneous spacetimes for all but one of the kinematical groups. We then construct a two-parameter family of Clifford algebras that give a unified framework for representing both the Lie algebras as well as the kinematical groups, showing that these groups are true rotation groups. In addition we give conformal models for these spacetimes.

Keywords: Cayley–Klein geometries; Clifford algebras; kinematics.

MSC: 11E88; 15A66; 53A17

Received: April 30, 2007; in final form July 3, 2007; Published online July 19, 2007

Language: English

DOI: 10.3842/SIGMA.2007.079



Bibliographic databases:
ArXiv: 0707.2869


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