Papers
Topics
Authors
Recent
Assistant
AI Research Assistant
Well-researched responses based on relevant abstracts and paper content.
Custom Instructions Pro
Preferences or requirements that you'd like Emergent Mind to consider when generating responses.
Gemini 2.5 Flash
Gemini 2.5 Flash 72 tok/s
Gemini 2.5 Pro 41 tok/s Pro
GPT-5 Medium 30 tok/s Pro
GPT-5 High 24 tok/s Pro
GPT-4o 115 tok/s Pro
Kimi K2 203 tok/s Pro
GPT OSS 120B 451 tok/s Pro
Claude Sonnet 4.5 36 tok/s Pro
2000 character limit reached

Clifford/Fock Construction Framework

Updated 27 September 2025
  • Clifford/Fock construction is a unifying algebraic framework that models quantum states and spinors using Clifford algebras and Fock spaces.
  • It constructs a complete Extended Fock Basis for Cl(m, m), decomposing multivectors into simple spinor substructures and clarifying symmetry via eigenvalue equations.
  • The approach offers significant computational advantages, using matrix isomorphism and parallelizable algorithms to enhance both theoretical and applied physics research.

The Clifford/Fock construction provides a rigorous and unifying framework for describing quantum states, spinors, and their algebraic and geometric structures using the machinery of Clifford algebras and Fock spaces. Central themes include the explicit construction of bases for Clifford algebras, the decomposition of the algebra into spinor subspaces, the correspondence between simple spinors and totally null planes, and algorithmic and physical implications of these algebraic structures. This formulation encompasses both the classical use of Fock space in quantum theory and modern approaches to Clifford algebra in geometry and representation theory.

1. Extended Fock Basis: Structure and Construction

The Extended Fock Basis (EFB) is introduced as a complete basis for the Clifford algebra Cl(m,m)Cl(m, m), generalizing the traditional Fock basis from spinorial subspaces to the entire algebra (Budinich, 2010). EFB elements are built using the null (Witt) basis

pi=12(γ2i1+γ2i),qi=12(γ2i1γ2i),i=1,,mp_i = \frac{1}{2}(\gamma_{2i-1} + \gamma_{2i}), \quad q_i = \frac{1}{2}(\gamma_{2i-1} - \gamma_{2i}), \quad i=1, \dots, m

The construction involves choosing, at each level ii, one out of four possibilities (depending on qi_ipi_i, pi_i, qi_i, or Πi\Pi_i), resulting in 4m=22m4^m = 2^{2m} basis elements—a full spanning set for Cl(m,m)Cl(m, m).

Unlike the traditional Fock basis, which is confined to minimal left ideals defined by a vacuum spinor, the EFB extends to all multivectors as a linear combination of simple spinors, thus reducing much of the analysis of Cl(m,m)Cl(m, m) to the simplest case of Cl(1,1)Cl(1, 1).

2. Spinor Subspaces as Left Eigenvectors of the Volume Element

Each EFB element is a left eigenvector of the Clifford algebra's volume element

Γ=γ1γ2γ2m\Gamma = \gamma_1\gamma_2\cdots\gamma_{2m}

The eigenvalue equation is

ΓΨ=ηΨ\Gamma\Psi = \eta\Psi

with η=i=1mhi\eta = \prod_{i=1}^m h_i governed by the hh-signature (each hi=±1h_i = \pm 1 identifies which null vector appears first at level ii). The Clifford algebra Cl(m,m)Cl(m, m) thus decomposes as a direct sum of 2m2^m spinor subspaces, each labeled by a fixed hh-signature, and every EFB element is a simple spinor left eigenvector of Γ\Gamma. This decomposition clarifies the internal symmetry structure and the direct sum of minimal left ideals.

3. Simple Spinors, Totally Null Planes, and Nonzero Coordinates

Every EFB element is a simple (or pure) spinor. For any simple spinor Ψ\Psi, there exists a maximal totally null plane (TNP) M(Ψ)VM(\Psi) \subset V (with VV the underlying vector space), defined by

vΨ=0,vM(Ψ)v\Psi = 0,\quad \forall v \in M(\Psi)

Maximality demands dimM(Ψ)=m\dim M(\Psi) = m. In matrix representations, EFB elements with constant hh- and gg-signatures have only one nonzero entry per column, directly mirroring the TNP structure; all other coordinates vanish.

The composition properties of simple spinors are also captured: if two simple spinors from the same subspace have TNPs intersecting in m2m-2 dimensions, any linear combination remains simple. In the case m=3m=3 (6-dimensional vector spaces), four linearly dependent spinors can be chosen such that any linear combination is simple—a special low-dimensional phenomenon highlighted in the paper.

4. Algorithmic and Computational Implications

The EFB framework offers a dramatic computational improvement by mapping Cl(m,m)Cl(m, m) to a matrix algebra F(2m)F(2^m) such that Clifford multiplication can be performed much faster—specifically a factor 2m2^m reduction versus standard gamma-matrix algorithms. EFB-based algorithms allow direct multiplication in the basis, with spinor subspace decomposition facilitating parallelization and block-based computations.

The basis also enables a natural matrix isomorphism, unifying spinors and multivectors and exposing a dual symmetry: maximal TNPs in the vector space correspond one-to-one to totally simple planes (spinor spaces) of dimension mm. This duality streamlines both symbolic and numeric Clifford algebra computations.

5. Physical and Geometric Applications

The EFB and Clifford/Fock construction have direct applications to quantum field theory and geometry. The full expansion of the Clifford algebra in simple spinors is closely tied to the modeling of mirror particles and quantum fields, where multiple distinct spinor spaces are critical for encapsulating physical degrees of freedom.

Moreover, the generalized Fock space picture produced by the EFB provides alternative geometric interpretations, for instance, allowing for constraint equations for simple spinors with m>3m>3, and facilitating the paper of possible configurations of quantum states in field-theoretic models.

6. Exceptional Low-Dimensional Behavior

The case m=3m=3 (dimension six) has exceptional properties concerning the composition of simple spinors and the number of nonzero coordinates. For m=3m=3, the usual bounds (e.g., kmk\leq m or km+1k\leq m+1 for linearly independent simple spinors whose combinations remain simple) are surpassed: four simple spinors may be chosen such that any linear combination is simple, even though they are linearly dependent in hh-signature. This underlines subtle algebraic and geometric features present only in low-dimensional Clifford algebras.


In conclusion, the Clifford/Fock construction based on the Extended Fock Basis provides a canonical decomposition and efficient computational approach to Clifford algebras and their spinor representations. It accomplishes a unification of algebraic, geometric, and computational perspectives, and supports both quantum-mechanical and field-theoretic applications. The explicit matrix isomorphism, direct sum decomposition, correspondence to totally null planes, and recognition of exceptional dimensional cases together constitute a robust and flexible foundation for ongoing theoretical and applied research.

Definition Search Book Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.com
References (1)
Forward Email Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.com

Follow Topic

Get notified by email when new papers are published related to Clifford/Fock Construction.

Don't miss out on important new AI/ML research

See which papers are being discussed right now on X, Reddit, and more:

“Emergent Mind helps me see which AI papers have caught fire online.”

Philip

Philip

Creator, AI Explained on YouTube