/sci/ - Science & Math

amateur QCD student here: looking for some help with my SU(3) structure constants. Trying plug this junk into my TI-89t, only some of it is working...

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_unitary_group#SU.283.29
Define my commuter brackets as [a,b] = ab - ba
Constants equal to 1 and 1/2 work
> Constants equal to <span class="math">\fraq{\sqrt{3}}{2}[/spoiler] don't

> http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i={{0%2C0%2C1}%2C{0%2C0%2C0}%2C{1%2C0%2C0}}*{{0%2C0%2C-i}%2C{0%2C
0%2C0}%2C{i%2C0%2C0}}
seems either way <span class="math">\lambda4[/spoiler] and <span class="math">\lambda5[/spoiler] will always have a 0 in the center, so no scalar can make their combination equal to <span class="math">\lambda8[/spoiler]

of course I see there are multiple sources confirming these values for the structure constants so I figure I'm missing something. Can anyone point it out?

I need help understanding how to use the Gell-Mann matrices. How can they multiplied with themselves and other matrices to get back the original result?

I get how this works with su(2) with the Pauli matrices. like t1*t1=it3. But when I plug the Gell-Mann matrices into my TI-89, I can't make it work.