Symmetric Multiplets in Quantum Algebras

Abstract

We consider a modified version of the coproduct for $\U(\su_q(2))$ and show that in the limit when $q \rightarrow 1$, there exists an essentially non-cocommutative coproduct. We study the implications of this non-cocommutativity for a system of two spin-$1/2$ particles. Here it is shown that, unlike the usual case, this non-trivial coproduct allows for symmetric and anti-symmetric states to be present in the multiplet. We surmise that our analysis could be related to the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic cases of the Heisenberg magnets.