Antiunitary symmetry operators in quantum mechanics

A criterion to decide that some symmetries of a quantum system must be realized as antiunitary operators is given. It is based on some mathematical theorems about the second cohomology group of the symmetry group when expressed in terms of those of a normal subgroup and the corresponding factor group. It is also shown that this criterion implies that the only possibility for the unitary subgroup in the Galilean case is that generated by the space reflection and the connected component containing the identity; otherwise only massless systems would arise. (author)