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 $N=4.$