Two-dimensional superintegrable systems from operator algebras in one dimension

Abstract

We develop new constructions of 2D classical and quantum superintegrable Hamiltonians allowing separation of variables in Cartesian coordinates. In classical mechanics we start from two functions on a one-dimensional phase space, a natural Hamiltonian \(H\) and a polynomial of order \(N\) in the momentum \(p.\) We assume that their Poisson commutator \(\{H,K\}\) vanishes, is a constant, a constant times \(H\), or a constant times \(K\). In the quantum case \(H\) and \(K\) are operators and their Lie commutator has one of the above properties. We use two copies of such \((H,K)\) pairs to generate two-dimensional superintegrable systems in the Euclidean space \(E_2\), allowing the separation of variables in Cartesian coordinates. All known separable superintegrable systems in \(E_2\) can be obtained in this manner and we obtain new ones for \(N=4.\)