nLab Casimir operator

Redirected from "Casimir element".
Contents

Contents

Definition

Given a Lie algebra 𝔤\mathfrak{g}, then a Casimir element or Casimir invariant is an element in the center of its universal enveloping algebra U(𝔤)U(\mathfrak{g}).

Often this is considered with some Lie algebra representation in mind, in which case one speaks of Casimir operators.

References

Named after Hendrik Casimir, who discovered the concept in the context of rigid body dynamics.

Last revised on March 31, 2021 at 23:22:41. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.