This paper, On the Euler angles for SU(N), gives a definition/derivation of Euler angles for SU(n). The paper claims that the construction first appeared in 2002. Does anyone know if that’s true? I thought for sure that I’d seen Euler angles defined for SU(n) (and SO(n)) sometime in the 90s.
Ars Mathematica
Dedicated to the mathematical arts.
Euler angles are just the most horrible thing. As someone who works in 3D graphics I frequently have to deal with the headache of the fact that people insist on using Euler angles to parameterise the entirety of SO(3) even though it gives a a multivalued and singular representation. And now someone has figured out how to spread this evil to other Lie groups too. It’s too much to bear!