Non-linear generalization of the sl(2) algebra

We present a generalization of the sl(2) algebra where the algebraic relations are constructed with the help of a general function of one of the generators. When this function is linear this algebra is a deformed sl(2) algebra. In the non-linear case, the finite dimensional representations are constructed in two different Ways. In the first case, which provides finite dimensional representations only for the non-linear case, these representations come from solutions to a dynamical equation and we show how to construct explicitly these representations for a general quadratic non-linear function. The other type of finite dimensional representation comes from solutions to a cut condition equation. We give examples of solutions of this type in the non-linear case as well. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.