From Rotations to Unitaries: Reversible Quantum Processes and the Emergence of the $SU(2)-SO(3)$ Homomorphism

Abstract

We present an operational reconstruction of the well-known two-to-one homomorphism between the groups $SU(2)$ and $SO(3)$, grounded in the physical description of quantum state preparation and evolution. Starting from the connection between vectors in three-dimensional physical space and quantum states of two-level systems, we investigate how reversible transformations-modeled as completely positive and trace-preserving maps-give rise to a correspondence between spatial rotations and unitary operations. Our approach reveals how this group-theoretic structure naturally emerges from physical constraints, particularly the preservation of purity and reversibility in quantum processes. Beyond its theoretical relevance, the construction offers a pedagogically accessible framework for introducing core ideas in quantum mechanics and symmetry groups, making the abstract correspondence between $SU(2)$ and $SO(3)$ tangible through experimentally meaningful procedures.

9 pages, 1 figure. Revised version according to referees' suggestions --- to be published in Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física