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We study noncommutative polynomials and functions invariant under linear actions of infinite (compact Lie) groups, with a focus on $SU(2)$ acting on two noncommuting variables. For $SU(2)$, we give a complete description of the invariant noncommutative polynomials: there are no invariants of odd degree, and in degree $2n$ the invariants are exactly the span of the S₂ₙ-orbit of (XY-YX)ⁿ. We also construct an explicit basis recursively from the operation (A,B)↦ XAYB-YAXB, and show that the space of degree-$2n$ invariants has dimension equal to the n-th Catalan number. All proofs proceed by direct computation with the Haar integral.
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Jiachen Lu (2026) studied this question.
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