Linear canonical transformation

In Hamiltonian mechanics, the linear canonical transformation (LCT) is a family of integral transforms
that generalizes many classical transforms. It has 4 parameters and 1 constraint, so it is a 3-dimensional
family, and can be visualized as the action of the special linear group SL2 (R) on the time–frequency plane
(domain). As this defines the original function up to a sign, this translates into an action of its double cover
on the original function space.

The LCT generalizes the Fourier, fractional Fourier, Laplace, Gauss–Weierstrass, Bargmann and the
Fresnel transforms as particular cases. The name "linear canonical transformation" is from canonical
transformation, a map that preserves the symplectic structure, as SL2 (R) can also be interpreted as the
symplectic group Sp2 , and thus LCTs are the linear maps of the time–frequency domain which preserve the
symplectic form, and their action on the Hilbert space is given by the Metaplectic group.

The basic properties of the transformations mentioned above, such as scaling, shift, coordinate
multiplication are considered. Any linear canonical transformation is related to affine transformations in
phase space, defined by time-frequency or position-momentum coordinates.

Definition
The LCT can be represented in several ways; most easily,[1] it can be parameterized by a 2×2 matrix with
determinant 1, i.e., an element of the special linear group SL2 (C). Then for any such matrix with
ad − bc = 1, the corresponding integral transform from a function to is defined as

Special cases
Many classical transforms are special cases of the linear canonical transform:

Scaling

Scaling, , corresponds to scaling the time and frequency dimensions inversely (as time
goes faster, frequencies are higher and the time dimension shrinks):
Fourier transform

The Fourier transform corresponds to a clockwise rotation by 90° in the time–frequency plane, represented
by the matrix

Fractional Fourier transform

The fractional Fourier transform corresponds to rotation by an arbitrary angle; they are the elliptic elements
of SL2 (R), represented by the matrices

The Fourier transform is the fractional Fourier transform when The inverse Fourier transform
corresponds to

Fresnel transform

The Fresnel transform corresponds to shearing, and are a family of parabolic elements, represented by the
matrices

where z is distance, and λ is wave length.

Laplace transform

The Laplace transform corresponds to rotation by 90° into the complex domain and can be represented by
the matrix

Fractional Laplace transform

The fractional Laplace transform corresponds to rotation by an arbitrary angle into the complex domain and
can be represented by the matrix[2]
The Laplace transform is the fractional Laplace transform when The inverse Laplace transform
corresponds to

Chirp multiplication

Chirp multiplication, , corresponds to :

Composition
Composition of LCTs corresponds to multiplication of the corresponding matrices; this is also known as the
additivity property of the Wigner distribution function (WDF). Occasionally the product of transforms can
pick up a sign factor due to picking a different branch of the square root in the definition of the LCT. In the
literature, this is called the metaplectic phase.

If the LCT is denoted by , i.e.

then

where

If is the , where is the LCT of , then

LCT is equal to the twisting operation for the WDF and the Cohen's class distribution also has the twisting
operation.

We can freely use the LCT to transform the parallelogram whose center is at (0, 0) to another parallelogram
which has the same area and the same center:

From this picture we know that the point (−1, 2) transform to the point (0, 1), and the point (1, 2) transform
to the point (4, 3). As the result, we can write down the equations

Solve these equations gives (a, b, c, d) = (2, 1, 1, 1).

In optics and quantum mechanics

Paraxial optical systems implemented entirely with thin lenses and propagation through free space and/or
graded-index (GRIN) media, are quadratic-phase systems (QPS); these were known before Moshinsky and
Quesne (1974) called attention to their significance in connection with canonical transformations in
quantum mechanics. The effect of any arbitrary QPS on an input wavefield can be described using the
linear canonical transform, a particular case of which was developed by Segal (1963) and Bargmann
(1961) in order to formalize Fock's (1928) boson calculus.[3]

In quantum mechanics, linear canonical transformations can be identified with the linear transformations
which mix the momentum operator with the position operator and leave invariant the canonical
commutation relations.

Applications
Canonical transforms are used to analyze differential equations. These include diffusion, the Schrödinger
free particle, the linear potential (free-fall), and the attractive and repulsive oscillator equations. It also
includes a few others such as the Fokker–Planck equation. Although this class is far from universal, the
ease with which solutions and properties are found makes canonical transforms an attractive tool for
problems such as these.[4]
Wave propagation through air, a lens, and between satellite dishes are discussed here. All of the
computations can be reduced to 2×2 matrix algebra. This is the spirit of LCT.

Electromagnetic wave propagation

Assuming the system looks like as depicted in the figure, the

wave travels from the (xi,  yi) plane to the (x,  y) plane. The
Fresnel transform is used to describe electromagnetic wave
propagation in free space:

where

is the wave number,

λ is the wavelength,
z is the distance of propagation,
is the imaginary unit.

This is equivalent to LCT (shearing), when

When the travel distance (z) is larger, the shearing effect is larger.

Spherical lens

With the lens as depicted in the figure, and the refractive index
denoted as n , the result is[5]

where f is the focal length, and Δ is the thickness of the lens.

The distortion passing through the lens is similar to LCT, when

This is also a shearing effect: when the focal length is smaller, the shearing effect is larger.

Spherical mirror

The spherical mirror—e.g., a satellite dish—can be described

as a LCT, with

This is very similar to lens, except focal length is replaced by

the radius R of the dish. A spherical mirror with radius
curvature of R is equivalent to a thin lens with the focal length f = −R/2 (by convention, R < 0 for
concave mirror, R > 0 for convex mirror). Therefore, if the radius is smaller, the shearing effect is larger.

Joint free space and spherical lens

The relation between the input and output we can use LCT to represent

1. If , it is reverse real image.

2. If , it is Fourier transform+scaling
3. If , it is fractional Fourier transform+scaling

Basic properties
In this part, we show the basic properties of LCT
 Operator Matrix of transform

Given a two-dimensional column vector we show some basic properties (result) for the specific

input below:
 Input Output Remark

where

linearity

Parseval's
theorem

where complex
conjugate

multiplication

derivation

modulation

shift

where scaling

scaling

where

Example
The system considered is depicted in the figure to the right:
two dishes – one being the emitter and the other one the
receiver – and a signal travelling between them over a distance
D. First, for dish A (emitter), the LCT matrix looks like this:

Then, for dish B (receiver), the LCT matrix similarly becomes:

Last, for the propagation of the signal in air, the LCT matrix is:

Putting all three components together, the LCT of the system is:

Relation to particle physics

It has been shown that it may be possible to establish a relation between some properties of the elementary
fermion in the Standard Model of particle physics and spin representation of linear canonical
transformations.[6] In this approach, the electric charge, weak hypercharge and weak isospin of the particles
are expressed as linear combinations of some operators defined from the generators of the Clifford algebra
associated with the spin representation of linear canonical transformations.

See also
Segal–Shale–Weil distribution, a metaplectic group of operators related to the chirplet
transform
Other time–frequency transforms:
Fractional Fourier transform
Continuous Fourier transform
Chirplet transform
Applications:
Focus recovery based on the linear canonical transform
Ray transfer matrix analysis

Notes
1. de Bruijn, N. G. (1973). "A theory of generalized functions, with applications to Wigner
distribution and Weyl correspondence", Nieuw Arch. Wiskd., III. Ser., 21, 205–280.
2. P. R. Deshmukh & A. S. Gudadhe (2011) Convolution structure for two version of fractional
Laplace transform. Journal of Science and Arts, 2(15):143–150. "CORE" (https://archive.toda
y/20121223133921/http://core.kmi.open.ac.uk/display/1140726). Archived from the original
(http://core.kmi.open.ac.uk/display/1140726) on 2012-12-23. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
3. K. B. Wolf (1979) Ch. 9: Canonical transforms (http://www.fis.unam.mx/~bwolf/Book%27s/Int
egral%20Transforms/IX.pdf).
4. K. B. Wolf (1979) Ch. 9 (http://www.fis.unam.mx/~bwolf/Book%27s/Integral%20Transforms/I
X.pdf) & 10 (http://www.fis.unam.mx/~bwolf/Book%27s/Integral%20Transforms/X.pdf).
 5. Goodman, Joseph W. (2005), Introduction to Fourier optics (3rd ed.), Roberts and Company
Publishers, ISBN 0-9747077-2-4, §5.1.3, pp. 100–102.
6. R. T. Ranaivoson et al (2021) Phys. Scr. 96, 065204.

References
J.J. Healy, M.A. Kutay, H.M. Ozaktas and J.T. Sheridan, "Linear Canonical Transforms:
Theory and Applications", Springer, New York 2016.
J.J. Ding, "Time–frequency analysis and wavelet transform course note", the Department of
Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University (NTU), Taipei, Taiwan, 2007.
K.B. Wolf, "Integral Transforms in Science and Engineering (http://www.fis.unam.mx/~bwol
f/)", Ch. 9&10, New York, Plenum Press, 1979.
S.A. Collins, "Lens-system diffraction integral written in terms of matrix optics," J. Opt. Soc.
Amer. 60, 1168–1177 (1970).
M. Moshinsky and C. Quesne, "Linear canonical transformations and their unitary
representations," J. Math. Phys. 12, 8, 1772–1783, (1971).
B.M. Hennelly and J.T. Sheridan, "Fast Numerical Algorithm for the Linear Canonical
Transform", J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 22, 5, 928–937 (2005).
H.M. Ozaktas, A. Koç, I. Sari, and M.A. Kutay, "Efficient computation of quadratic-phase
integrals in optics", Opt. Let. 31, 35–37, (2006).
Bing-Zhao Li, Ran Tao, Yue Wang, "New sampling formulae related to the linear canonical
transform", Signal Processing '87', 983–990, (2007).
A. Koç, H.M. Ozaktas, C. Candan, and M.A. Kutay, "Digital computation of linear canonical
transforms", IEEE Trans. Signal Process., vol. 56, no. 6, 2383–2394, (2008).
Ran Tao, Bing-Zhao Li, Yue Wang, "On sampling of bandlimited signals associated with the
linear canonical transform", IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing, vol. 56, no. 11, 5454–
5464, (2008).
D. Stoler, "Operator methods in Physical Optics", 26th Annual Technical Symposium.
International Society for Optics and Photonics, 1982.
Tian-Zhou Xu, Bing-Zhao Li, " Linear Canonical Transform and Its Applications ", Beijing,
Science Press, 2013.
Raoelina Andriambololona, R. T. Ranaivoson, H.D.E Randriamisy, R. Hanitriarivo,
"Dispersion Operators Algebra and Linear Canonical Transformations",Int. J. Theor. Phys.,
56, 4, 1258–1273, (2017)
R.T. Ranaivoson et al, "Linear Canonical Transformations in Relativistic Quantum Physics",
Phys. Scr. 96, 065204, (2021).
Tatiana Alieva., Martin J. Bastiaans. (2016) The Linear Canonical Transformations:
Definition and Properties. In: Healy J., Alper Kutay M., Ozaktas H., Sheridan J. (eds) Linear
Canonical Transforms. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 198. Springer, New York,
NY

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