Six-dimensional space-time from quaternionic quantum mechanics

Abstract

Quaternionic quantum Hamiltonians describing nonrelativistic spin particles require the ambient physical space to have five dimensions. The quantum dynamics of a spin-12 particle system characterized by a generic Hamiltonian is worked out in detail. It is shown that there exists, within the structure of quaternionic quantum mechanics, a canonical reduction to three spatial dimensions upon which standard quantum theory is retrieved. In this dimensional reduction, three of the five dynamical variables are shown to oscillate around a cylinder, thus behaving in a quasi-one-dimensional manner at large distances. An analogous mechanism is shown to exist in the case of octavic Hamiltonians, where the ambient physical space has nine dimensions. Possible experimental tests in search for the signature of extra dimensions at low energies are briefly discussed. © 2011 American Physical Society.