Can a cross product be defined between two Hilbert space vectors?

In summary, the equivalent of a dot product in Hilbert space is given by <f|g> = ∫f(x)g(x)dx and the angle between two vectors can be found using θ = arccos(<f|g>/√(<f|f><g|g>)). It is not possible to have a cross product in Hilbert space, but it may be possible to have a bivector or a more complicated object such as <f| × |g> = |h><k> or <f| × |g> = |h><k>. There is no formal way to construct a cross product in Hilbert space. The magnitude of a Hilbert cross product can be found
  • #1
DuckAmuck
236
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The equivalent of a dot product in Hilbert space is:
[tex] \langle f | g \rangle = \int f(x) g(x) dx [/tex]
And you can find the angle between functions/vectors f and g via:
[tex] \theta = arccos\left( \frac{\langle f | g \rangle}{\sqrt{\langle f|f \rangle \langle g|g \rangle}} \right)[/tex]

So is it possible to come up with a cross product between two Hilbert space vectors? I know with discrete dimensionalities, you can only have vectors result from cross products in 3D and 7D, but is it possible here?
If not, is it possible to get something akin to a bivector, like with 4D cross products?

Is it possible to get something like:
[tex] \langle f | \times |g \rangle = | h \rangle [/tex]
where
[tex] \langle f |h \rangle = 0 [/tex]
[tex] \langle g |h \rangle = 0 [/tex]

Maybe the cross product is a more complicated object akin to a bivector, like something of the form:
[tex] \langle f | \times |g \rangle = | h \rangle | k \rangle [/tex]
or
[tex] \langle f | \times |g \rangle = | h \rangle \langle k | [/tex]
Is there a formal way to construct a cross product like this in Hilbert space?

As an aside: if
[tex] cos \theta = q [/tex]
then
[tex] sin \theta = \sqrt{1 - q^2} [/tex]

And for cross products, the maginitude is [tex] |A \times B| = |A||B|sin \theta [/tex]

So it seems to follow from the second equation in this post, that the magnitude of a Hilbert cross product is:
[tex] | \langle f | \times |g \rangle | = \sqrt{ \langle f|f \rangle \langle g|g \rangle - \langle f | g \rangle^2 } [/tex]
 
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  • #2
In 3D, the cross-product is the Hodge dual of the wedge product of the two vectors. If the vectors are 1D, their wedge product is 2D, and in an N-dimensional space the hodge dual of this would be (N-2)-dimensional. So at least it's not just a vector(ket), it might be something tensorial but I don't know if such a thing is defined in any way in a quantum Hilbert space.
 

Related to Can a cross product be defined between two Hilbert space vectors?

What is a Hilbert Space Cross Product?

A Hilbert Space Cross Product is a mathematical operation that combines two vectors in a Hilbert Space to produce a third vector. It is an extension of the traditional cross product operation from Euclidean space to infinite-dimensional Hilbert space.

How is a Hilbert Space Cross Product calculated?

A Hilbert Space Cross Product is calculated using the same principles as a traditional cross product. The cross product of two vectors u and v in a Hilbert Space is denoted as u x v and is equal to the norm of u multiplied by the norm of v multiplied by the sine of the angle between u and v.

What are the properties of a Hilbert Space Cross Product?

Some important properties of a Hilbert Space Cross Product include the fact that it is bilinear, anti-commutative, and obeys the distributive law. Additionally, it satisfies the parallelogram law, which states that the norm of the sum of two vectors squared is equal to the sum of the squares of their norms minus twice the square of their cross product.

What are some applications of Hilbert Space Cross Products?

Hilbert Space Cross Products have various applications in physics, engineering, and mathematics. They are used in quantum mechanics, signal processing, and functional analysis, among others. They also have applications in computer graphics and machine learning algorithms.

What is the relationship between Hilbert Space Cross Products and Inner Products?

Hilbert Space Cross Products are closely related to Inner Products, as they are both operations that combine two vectors to produce a scalar quantity. In fact, the cross product can be derived from the inner product in a Hilbert Space. However, unlike inner products, cross products do not exist in all Hilbert Spaces and are only defined in certain cases.

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