Hidden symmetries of deformed oscillators

Abstract

We associate with each simple Lie algebra a system of second-order differential equations invariant under a non-compact real form of the corresponding Lie group. In the limit of a contraction to a Schrödinger algebra, these equations reduce to a system of ordinary harmonic oscillators. We provide two clarifying examples of such deformed oscillators: one system invariant under SO(2,3) transformations, and another system featuring G2(2) symmetry. The construction of invariant actions requires adding semi-dynamical degrees of freedom; we illustrate the algorithm with the two examples mentioned.