Symmetries of the pseudo-diffusion equation, and its unconventional 2-sided kernel

Abstract: We determine by two related methods the invariance algebra $\g$ of the \emph{pseudo-diffusion equation'} (PSDE) $$ L~Q \equiv \left[\frac {\partial}{\partial t} -\frac 1 4 \left(\frac {\partial^2}{\partial x^2} -\frac 1 {t^2} \frac {\partial^2}{\partial p^2}\right)\right]~Q(x,p,t)=0, $$ which describes the behavior of the $Q$ functions in the $(x,p)$-phase space as a function of a squeeze parameter $y$, where $t=e^{2y}$. The algebra turns out to be isomorphic to that of its constant coefficient version. Relying on this isomorphism we construct a local point transformation which maps the factor $t^{-2}$ to 1. We show that any generalized version $u_t-u_{xx}+ b(t) u_{yy}=0$ of PSDE has a smaller symmetry algebra than $\g$, except for $b(t)$ equals to a constant or it is proportional to $t^{-2}$. We apply the group elements $G_i(\ga) := \exp[\ga A_i]$ and obtain new solutions of the PSDE from simple ones, and interpret the physics of some of the results. We make use of thefactorization property' of the PSDE to construct its \textit{`2-sided kernel'}, because it has to depend on two times, $t_0 < t < t_1$. We include a detailed discussion of the identification of the Lie algebraic structure of the symmetry algebra $\g$, and its contraction from $\su(1,1)\oplus\so(3,1)$.