The term complex representation has slightly different meanings in mathematics and physics.
In mathematics, a complex representation is a group representation of a group (or Lie algebra) on a complex vector space.
In physics, a complex representation is a group representation of a group (or Lie algebra) on a complex vector space that is neither real nor pseudoreal. In other words, the group elements are expressed as complex matrices, and the complex conjugate of a complex representation is a different, non-equivalent representation. For compact groups, the Frobenius-Schur indicator can be used to tell whether a representation is real, complex, or pseudo-real.
For example, the N-dimensional fundamental representation of SU(N) for N greater than two is a complex representation whose complex conjugate is often called the antifundamental representation.
Famous quotes containing the word complex:
“In ordinary speech the words perception and sensation tend to be used interchangeably, but the psychologist distinguishes. Sensations are the items of consciousness—a color, a weight, a texture—that we tend to think of as simple and single. Perceptions are complex affairs that embrace sensation together with other, associated or revived contents of the mind, including emotions.”
—Jacques Barzun (b. 1907)