Noncommutative Yang model and its generalizations

Long time ago, C.N. Yang proposed a model of noncommutative spacetime that generalized the Snyder model to a curved background. In this paper we review his proposal and the generalizations that have been suggested during the years. In particular, we discuss the most general algebras that contain as subalgebras both de Sitter and Snyder algebras, preserving Lorentz invariance, and are generated by a two-parameter deformation of the canonical Heisenberg algebra. We also define their realizations on quantum phase space, giving explicit examples, both exact and in terms of a perturbative expansion in the deformation parameters.