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An algorithm for BCH

arXiv:1502.06589v1 [hep-th] 23 Feb 2015

Marco Matone
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia G. Galilei
Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Universit`a di Padova, Via Marzolo, 8-35131 Padova, Italy

Abstract
We show that a simple algorithm, that can be generalized by iteration, provides
a tool for extending the simplified BCH formula, recently derived by Van-Brunt
and M. Visser. In particular, we show that if [X, Y ] = uX + vY + cI, [Y, Z] =
wY + zZ + dI, [X, Z] = mX + nY + pZ + eI then
eX eY eZ = eaX+bY +cZ+dI .
where a, b, c and d are solutions of four equations. This result may have interesting
applications both in mathematics and physics. As a specific example we derive the
SL2 (C) relation


ln e1 L1 e0 L0 e1 L1 =

e +


[1 L1 + (e+ + e 2)L0 + 1 L1 ] ,
e

that follows straightforwardly from the formulation. We also note that a similar
formula arises in considering the exponentiation of the Virasoro algebra.

Introduction

Very recently Van-Brunt and Visser [1][2] found a remarkable relation that simplifies, in
particular cases, the BCH formula. Namely, if the commutator between X and Y has the
form
[X, Y ] = uX + vY + cI,
(1)
with u, v and c, c-numbers, then
eX eY = eX+Y +f (u,v)[X,Y ] ,
where
f (u, v) = f (v, u) =

(2)

(u v)eu+v (ueu vev )


.
uv(eu ev )

In the following we will show that a simple algorithm leads to an extension of the VanBrunt and Visser formula (2) that includes commutators containing other elements of the
algebra than those in the commutator. In particular, we show that if
[X, Y ] = uX + vY + cI ,

[Y, Z] = wY + zZ + dI ,

[X, Z] = mX + nY + pZ + eI ,

then the BCH formula admits the closed form,


eX eY eZ = eaX+bY +cZ+dI ,
where a, b, c and d satisfy four equations. As an example we show that the resulting
formulas provide an immediate determination of the BCH formula for SL2 (C). A similar
result may be obtained in considering the exponentiation of the Virasoro algebra
[Lm , Ln ] = (n m)Lm+n +

c
(m3 m)m+n .
12

We also note that our formula can be extended to more general situations, such as
eX1 eXn .

The algorithm

There is a simple algorithm that generalizes the formula by Van-Brunt and Visser. Consider the decomposition
eX eY eZ = eX e Y e+ Y eZ ,
(3)
with
+ + = 1 .
If
[X, Y ] = uX + vY + cI ,

[Y, Z] = wY + zZ + dI ,

then, by (2),

eX eY eZ = eX eY ,

where
= g (u, v)X + h (u, v)Y + l (u, v)cI ,
X
Y = h+ (z, w)Y + g+ (z, w)Z + l+ (z, w)dI ,
with
g (u, v) = 1 + uf (u, v) =

u
,
1 eu

h (u, v) = (1 + vf (u, v)) = g (v, u) + 1 ,


g (u, v) 1
.
u
Suppose that the commutator between X and Z contains also Y
l (u, v) = f (u, v) =

[X, Z] = mX + nY + pZ + eI .
Note that if

Y ] = uX
+ vY + cI ,
[X,

(4)

then, by (1) and (2),

eX eY eZ = eX+Y +f (u,v)[X,Y ] .
and Y with their expressions in terms of X, Y and I, in the RHS of (4),
Replacing X
Y ], yields
and comparing the result with the direct computation of [X,
u = h+ (z, w)u + g+ (z, w)m ,
uh (u, v) + vh+ (z, w) = g (u, v)h+ (z, w)v + g (u, v)g (w, z)n
+ h (u, v)g+ (z, w)w ,
v = g (u, v)p + h (u, v)z ,
ul (u, v)c + vl+ (z, w)d + c = g (u, v)h+ (z, w)c + g (u, v)g+ (z, w)e
+ h (u, v)g+ (z, w)d ,
The first two equations fix u and v in terms of + . The third one fixes and the last one
fixes c. Also note that the first two equations provide an expression for v that compared
with the third equation leads to the equation for +
h (u, v)h+ (z, w)u + h (u, v)g+ (z, w)m + (g (u, v)p + h (u, v)z)h+ (z, w)
g (u, v)h+ (z, w)v g (u, v)g+ (z, w)n h (u, v)g+ (z, w)w = 0 .

(5)

The above algorithm can be extended to more general cases, e.g. considering decompositions like (3) for
Xn
eX
.
1 e
3

SL2(C)

Let us consider the sl2 (R) algebra


[Lm , Ln ] = (n m)Lm+n ,
and construct group elements allowing complex parameters. Setting X = L1 , H =
2L0 and Y = L1 , reproduces the other standard representation of the sl2 (R) algebra
[H, X] = 2X, [X, Y ] = H and [H, Y ] = 2Y . Consider the SL2 (C) element
e1 L1 e0 L0 e1 L1 ,

(6)

where the parameters k s are arbitrary complex numbers. In this case, X, Y and Z in
(3) are X = 1L1 , Y = 0 L0 and Z = 1 L1 . One has to solve Eq.(5) with
u = 0

v=0

c=0

w=0

z = 0

d=0

21 1
0

m=0 n=

p=0 e=0

In this case Eq.(5) reduces to


(1 e 0 )(1 e+ 0 ) = 1 1 ,

(7)

that implies u = + 0 and v = 0 .


It is instructive to directly derive the solution repeating the algorithm in this simple case.
Eq.(2) with v = 0 gives
ln(e0 L0 e1 L1 ) = 0 L0 +

0 1
L1 ,
1 e0

and
ln(e1 L1 e0 L0 ) = 0 L0 +
By

0 1
L1 .
1 e0

e1 L1 e0 L0 e1 L1 = e1 L1 e L0 e+ L0 e1 L1 ,
where + + = 0 , so that = 0 . We get
L0 +

e1 L1 e0 L0 e1 L1 = e

1e

L1 + L0 +

+ 1
+
1e

L1

(8)

Fixing and + in such a way that the commutator between the two exponents in the
right hand side of (8) be of the form (1), that is
[ L0 +

1
+ 1
1
+ 1
L
,

L
+
L
]
=
u

(
L
+
L
)+
v
(
L
+
L1 ) ,
1
+
0
1

0
1
+
0

1e
1e +
1e
1 e+

gives
u = + ,

v = ,
4

and
(1 e )(1 e+ ) = 1 1 ,
that is

1 + e0 1 1

Therefore


1 L1 0 L0 1 L1
ln e
e
e
=

(1 + e0 1 1 )2 4e0
.
2


[1 L1 + (2 e+ e )L0 + 1 L1 ] .

+
e

(9)

Note that, in the case of SL2 (R), therefore for real k s, depending on the values of

k , the factor e++


may take complex values. This is in agreement with the non
e
surjectivity of the exponential map for sl2 (R) into SL2 (R). In particular, exponentiating
sl2 (R) cannot give SL2 (R) matrices whose trace is less than 2. The case with trace 2
and non diagonalizable matrices is critical, both for SL2 (R) and SL2 (C).
Let us express Eq.(9) in terms of the associated SL2 (C) matrix


A B
.
=
C D
Replacing the Lk s by their matrix representation


 1

2 0
0 1
,
,
L0 =
L1 =
0 21
0 0

L1 =

0 0
1 0

in the left hand side of (9) and comparing the result with yields, for D 6= 0,
A = e0 /2 (e0 1 1 ) ,

B = 1 e0 /2 ,

so that

C = 1 e0 /2 ,

D = e0 /2 ,

t2 1
,
(10)
D
where t := 12 tr . Since the eigenvalues of , solutions of the characteristic polynomial

2 2t + 1 = 0, are = t t2 1, we have

e =
so that

,
D

 ln( / )

+

[CL1 + (D A)L0 BL1 ] .


ln e1 L1 e0 L0 e1 L1 =
+

Note that when is parabolic, that is for |t| = 1, and therefore + = , we have
ln(+ / )
= 2sgn(t) .
+
Also, note that when is elliptic, that is for |t| < 1, one has + = = ei , so that

ln(+ / )
=
.
+
sin
5

(11)

Eq.(11) implies


A B
C D

=e

ln(+ / )

(A D)/2
B
C
(D A)/2

equivalently, using + = 1,


ln(t + t2 1)

= exp
( tI2 ) ,
t2 1


(12)

that can be iterated indefinitely by replacing some of the in the right hand side by its
exponential form.
The relation (12) can be also derived in an alternative way. Set = eX . Since X is
traceless, one has eX = aX + bI2 , and taking the trace gives b = t. Therefore = ec(tI2 )
for some c. Assuming distinct eigenvalues one can diagonalize both sides (with the same
matrix), to find
2 ln +
,
c=
+
that reproduces (12).
A particular case of (12) is when D = A1

ln A

=e

1
2C
AA1

2B
AA1

where either B = 0 or C = 0. It follows, that


= A1 and A2 = 1, admits
 when D 
1 1
exponentiation only if A = 1. For example
cannot be expressed as the
0 1
exponential neither of sl2 (R) nor of sl2 (C). Of course, this is not a problem in the case
such a matrix is seen as an element of PSL2 (R), as one may normalize A to a positive
value.
Let us derive a more geometrical representation of (12), useful, e.g., in the framework
of uniformization theory and in Conformal Field Theories. Consider the solutions of the
fixed point equation z = z

(A D)/2 t2 1
,
z =
C
where z denotes the PSL2 (R) Mobius transformation
z :=

Az + B
.
Cz + D

If B = 0, then


A 0
C D

=e

ln(+ / )

z+ z

z+ + z
0
1
z+ z

otherwise, in the case of PSL2 (R), one can fix B = 1 to get




A 1
C D

=e

ln(+ / )

z+ z

z z

z+ + z
+
1
z+ z

Acknowledgements
It is a pleasure to thank Piealberto Marchetti, Paolo Pasti, Dima Sorokin and Roberto
Volpato for interesting discussions.

References
[1] A. Van-Brunt and M. Visser, arXiv:1501.02506.
[2] A. Van-Brunt and M. Visser, arXiv:1501.05034.

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