The term R-matrix has several meanings, depending on the field of study.
The term R-matrix is used in connection with the Yang–Baxter equation, first introduced in the field of statistical mechanics in the works of J. B. McGuire in 1964[1] and C. N. Yang in 1967[2] and in the group algebra of the symmetric group in the work of A. A. Jucys in 1966.[3]
The classical R-matrix arises in the definition of the classical Yang–Baxter equation.[4]
In quasitriangular Hopf algebra, the R-matrix is a solution of the Yang–Baxter equation.
The numerical modeling of diffraction gratings in optical science can be performed using the R-matrix propagation algorithm.[5]