Pauli matrices Definition and 55 Threads

Hey folks, I am trying to generate the Pauli matrices and am using the following formula taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SU(3 ) "In the adjoint representation the generators are represented by (n^2-1)×(n^2-1) matrices whose elements are defined by the structure constants"...

This has been bugging me for a while, but feel to tell me if it's a nonsensical or silly question.. Suppose there were 4 spatial dimensions instead of 3. How would we go about constructing the Pauli matrices? Assuming each matrix still only has 2 eigenvectors, we require 4, 2x2 mutually...

Ok, I have a stupid question on pauli matrices here but it is bugging me. In a book I'm reading it gives the equation [\sigma_i , \sigma_j] = 2 I \epsilon_{i,j,k} \sigma_k , I understand how it works and everything but I do have a question, when you have k=i/j and i!=j (like 2,1,2) you get a...

Does anyone know of an alternative way of calculating the Pauli spin matrices \mbox{ \sigma_x} and \mbox{ \sigma_y} (already knowing \mbox { \sigma_z} and the (anti)-commutation relations), without using ladder operators \mbox{ \sigma_+} and \mbox{ \sigma_- }? Thanks!

Ok, I'm working with the Pauli Matrices, and I've already gone through showing a few bits of information. I've got a good idea how to keep going, but I'm not exactly sure about this one-- say M= 1/2(alphaI + a*sigma) where alpha E C, a=(ax, ay, az) a complex vector, a*sigma=ax sigmax+ay...