Geometric Quantization and No Go Theorems

Abstract

A geometric quantization of a Kähler manifold, viewed as a symplectic manifold, depends on the complex structure compatible with the symplectic form. The quantizations form a vector bundle over the space of such complex structures. Having a canonical quantization would amount to finding a natural (projectively) flat connection on this vector bundle. We prove that for a broad class of manifolds, including symplectic homogeneous spaces (e.g., the sphere), such connection does not exist. This is a consequence of a ``no go'' theorem claiming that the entire Lie algebra of smooth functions on a compact symplectic manifold cannot be quantized, i.e., it has no essentially nontrivial finite-dimensional representations.