7 Quantized Free Dirac Fields
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Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics
Path Integrals in Quantum Mechanics Dennis V. Perepelitsa MIT Department of Physics 70 Amherst Ave. Cambridge, MA 02142 Abstract We present the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics and demon- strate its equivalence to the Schr¨odinger picture. We apply the method to the free particle and quantum harmonic oscillator, investigate the Euclidean path integral, and discuss other applications. 1 Introduction A fundamental question in quantum mechanics is how does the state of a particle evolve with time? That is, the determination the time-evolution ψ(t) of some initial | i state ψ(t ) . Quantum mechanics is fully predictive [3] in the sense that initial | 0 i conditions and knowledge of the potential occupied by the particle is enough to fully specify the state of the particle for all future times.1 In the early twentieth century, Erwin Schr¨odinger derived an equation specifies how the instantaneous change in the wavefunction d ψ(t) depends on the system dt | i inhabited by the state in the form of the Hamiltonian. In this formulation, the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian play an important role, since their time-evolution is easy to calculate (i.e. they are stationary). A well-established method of solution, after the entire eigenspectrum of Hˆ is known, is to decompose the initial state into this eigenbasis, apply time evolution to each and then reassemble the eigenstates. That is, 1In the analysis below, we consider only the position of a particle, and not any other quantum property such as spin. 2 D.V. Perepelitsa n=∞ ψ(t) = exp [ iE t/~] n ψ(t ) n (1) | i − n h | 0 i| i n=0 X This (Hamiltonian) formulation works in many cases. -
Pauli Crystals–Interplay of Symmetries
S S symmetry Article Pauli Crystals–Interplay of Symmetries Mariusz Gajda , Jan Mostowski , Maciej Pylak , Tomasz Sowi ´nski ∗ and Magdalena Załuska-Kotur Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotnikow 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland; [email protected] (M.G.); [email protected] (J.M.); [email protected] (M.P.); [email protected] (M.Z.-K.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 20 October 2020; Accepted: 13 November 2020; Published: 16 November 2020 Abstract: Recently observed Pauli crystals are structures formed by trapped ultracold atoms with the Fermi statistics. Interactions between these atoms are switched off, so their relative positions are determined by joined action of the trapping potential and the Pauli exclusion principle. Numerical modeling is used in this paper to find the Pauli crystals in a two-dimensional isotropic harmonic trap, three-dimensional harmonic trap, and a two-dimensional square well trap. The Pauli crystals do not have the symmetry of the trap—the symmetry is broken by the measurement of positions and, in many cases, by the quantum state of atoms in the trap. Furthermore, the Pauli crystals are compared with the Coulomb crystals formed by electrically charged trapped particles. The structure of the Pauli crystals differs from that of the Coulomb crystals, this provides evidence that the exclusion principle cannot be replaced by a two-body repulsive interaction but rather has to be considered to be a specifically quantum mechanism leading to many-particle correlations. Keywords: pauli exclusion; ultracold fermions; quantum correlations 1. Introduction Recent advances of experimental capabilities reached such precision that simultaneous detection of many ultracold atoms in a trap is possible [1,2]. -
1 Introduction 2 Klein Gordon Equation
Thimo Preis 1 1 Introduction Non-relativistic quantum mechanics refers to the mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics applied in the context of Galilean relativity, more specifically quantizing the equations from the Hamiltonian formalism of non-relativistic Classical Mechanics by replacing dynamical variables by operators through the correspondence principle. Therefore, the physical properties predicted by the Schrödinger theory are invariant in a Galilean change of referential, but they do not have the invariance under a Lorentz change of referential required by the principle of relativity. In particular, all phenomena concerning the interaction between light and matter, such as emission, absorption or scattering of photons, is outside the framework of non-relativistic Quantum Mechanics. One of the main difficulties in elaborating relativistic Quantum Mechanics comes from the fact that the law of conservation of the number of particles ceases in general to be true. Due to the equivalence of mass and energy there can be creation or absorption of particles whenever the interactions give rise to energy transfers equal or superior to the rest massses of these particles. This theory, which i am about to present to you, is not exempt of difficulties, but it accounts for a very large body of experimental facts. We will base our deductions upon the six axioms of the Copenhagen Interpretation of quantum mechanics.Therefore, with the principles of quantum mechanics and of relativistic invariance at our disposal we will try to construct a Lorentz covariant wave equation. For this we need special relativity. 1.1 Special Relativity Special relativity states that the laws of nature are independent of the observer´s frame if it belongs to the class of frames obtained from each other by transformations of the Poincaré group. -
Introductory Lectures on Quantum Field Theory
Introductory Lectures on Quantum Field Theory a b L. Álvarez-Gaumé ∗ and M.A. Vázquez-Mozo † a CERN, Geneva, Switzerland b Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain Abstract In these lectures we present a few topics in quantum field theory in detail. Some of them are conceptual and some more practical. They have been se- lected because they appear frequently in current applications to particle physics and string theory. 1 Introduction These notes are based on lectures delivered by L.A.-G. at the 3rd CERN–Latin-American School of High- Energy Physics, Malargüe, Argentina, 27 February–12 March 2005, at the 5th CERN–Latin-American School of High-Energy Physics, Medellín, Colombia, 15–28 March 2009, and at the 6th CERN–Latin- American School of High-Energy Physics, Natal, Brazil, 23 March–5 April 2011. The audience on all three occasions was composed to a large extent of students in experimental high-energy physics with an important minority of theorists. In nearly ten hours it is quite difficult to give a reasonable introduction to a subject as vast as quantum field theory. For this reason the lectures were intended to provide a review of those parts of the subject to be used later by other lecturers. Although a cursory acquaintance with the subject of quantum field theory is helpful, the only requirement to follow the lectures is a working knowledge of quantum mechanics and special relativity. The guiding principle in choosing the topics presented (apart from serving as introductions to later courses) was to present some basic aspects of the theory that present conceptual subtleties. -
The Mechanics of the Fermionic and Bosonic Fields: an Introduction to the Standard Model and Particle Physics
The Mechanics of the Fermionic and Bosonic Fields: An Introduction to the Standard Model and Particle Physics Evan McCarthy Phys. 460: Seminar in Physics, Spring 2014 Aug. 27,! 2014 1.Introduction 2.The Standard Model of Particle Physics 2.1.The Standard Model Lagrangian 2.2.Gauge Invariance 3.Mechanics of the Fermionic Field 3.1.Fermi-Dirac Statistics 3.2.Fermion Spinor Field 4.Mechanics of the Bosonic Field 4.1.Spin-Statistics Theorem 4.2.Bose Einstein Statistics !5.Conclusion ! 1. Introduction While Quantum Field Theory (QFT) is a remarkably successful tool of quantum particle physics, it is not used as a strictly predictive model. Rather, it is used as a framework within which predictive models - such as the Standard Model of particle physics (SM) - may operate. The overarching success of QFT lends it the ability to mathematically unify three of the four forces of nature, namely, the strong and weak nuclear forces, and electromagnetism. Recently substantiated further by the prediction and discovery of the Higgs boson, the SM has proven to be an extraordinarily proficient predictive model for all the subatomic particles and forces. The question remains, what is to be done with gravity - the fourth force of nature? Within the framework of QFT theoreticians have predicted the existence of yet another boson called the graviton. For this reason QFT has a very attractive allure, despite its limitations. According to !1 QFT the gravitational force is attributed to the interaction between two gravitons, however when applying the equations of General Relativity (GR) the force between two gravitons becomes infinite! Results like this are nonsensical and must be resolved for the theory to stand. -
Charged Quantum Fields in Ads2
Charged Quantum Fields in AdS2 Dionysios Anninos,1 Diego M. Hofman,2 Jorrit Kruthoff,2 1 Department of Mathematics, King’s College London, the Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK 2 Institute for Theoretical Physics and ∆ Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands Abstract We consider quantum field theory near the horizon of an extreme Kerr black hole. In this limit, the dynamics is well approximated by a tower of electrically charged fields propagating in an SL(2, R) invariant AdS2 geometry endowed with a constant, symmetry preserving back- ground electric field. At large charge the fields oscillate near the AdS2 boundary and no longer admit a standard Dirichlet treatment. From the Kerr black hole perspective, this phenomenon is related to the presence of an ergosphere. We discuss a definition for the quantum field theory whereby we ‘UV’ complete AdS2 by appending an asymptotically two dimensional Minkowski region. This allows the construction of a novel observable for the flux-carrying modes that resembles the standard flat space S-matrix. We relate various features displayed by the highly charged particles to the principal series representations of SL(2, R). These representations are unitary and also appear for massive quantum fields in dS2. Both fermionic and bosonic fields are studied. We find that the free charged massless fermion is exactly solvable for general background, providing an interesting arena for the problem at hand. arXiv:1906.00924v2 [hep-th] 7 Oct 2019 Contents 1 Introduction 2 2 Geometry near the extreme Kerr horizon 4 2.1 Unitary representations of SL(2, R).......................... -
What Is the Dirac Equation?
What is the Dirac equation? M. Burak Erdo˘gan ∗ William R. Green y Ebru Toprak z July 15, 2021 at all times, and hence the model needs to be first or- der in time, [Tha92]. In addition, it should conserve In the early part of the 20th century huge advances the L2 norm of solutions. Dirac combined the quan- were made in theoretical physics that have led to tum mechanical notions of energy and momentum vast mathematical developments and exciting open operators E = i~@t, p = −i~rx with the relativis- 2 2 2 problems. Einstein's development of relativistic the- tic Pythagorean energy relation E = (cp) + (E0) 2 ory in the first decade was followed by Schr¨odinger's where E0 = mc is the rest energy. quantum mechanical theory in 1925. Einstein's the- Inserting the energy and momentum operators into ory could be used to describe bodies moving at great the energy relation leads to a Klein{Gordon equation speeds, while Schr¨odinger'stheory described the evo- 2 2 2 4 lution of very small particles. Both models break −~ tt = (−~ ∆x + m c ) : down when attempting to describe the evolution of The Klein{Gordon equation is second order, and does small particles moving at great speeds. In 1927, Paul not have an L2-conservation law. To remedy these Dirac sought to reconcile these theories and intro- shortcomings, Dirac sought to develop an operator1 duced the Dirac equation to describe relativitistic quantum mechanics. 2 Dm = −ic~α1@x1 − ic~α2@x2 − ic~α3@x3 + mc β Dirac's formulation of a hyperbolic system of par- tial differential equations has provided fundamental which could formally act as a square root of the Klein- 2 2 2 models and insights in a variety of fields from parti- Gordon operator, that is, satisfy Dm = −c ~ ∆ + 2 4 cle physics and quantum field theory to more recent m c . -
Dirac Equation - Wikipedia
Dirac equation - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirac_equation Dirac equation From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In particle physics, the Dirac equation is a relativistic wave equation derived by British physicist Paul Dirac in 1928. In its free form, or including electromagnetic interactions, it 1 describes all spin-2 massive particles such as electrons and quarks for which parity is a symmetry. It is consistent with both the principles of quantum mechanics and the theory of special relativity,[1] and was the first theory to account fully for special relativity in the context of quantum mechanics. It was validated by accounting for the fine details of the hydrogen spectrum in a completely rigorous way. The equation also implied the existence of a new form of matter, antimatter, previously unsuspected and unobserved and which was experimentally confirmed several years later. It also provided a theoretical justification for the introduction of several component wave functions in Pauli's phenomenological theory of spin; the wave functions in the Dirac theory are vectors of four complex numbers (known as bispinors), two of which resemble the Pauli wavefunction in the non-relativistic limit, in contrast to the Schrödinger equation which described wave functions of only one complex value. Moreover, in the limit of zero mass, the Dirac equation reduces to the Weyl equation. Although Dirac did not at first fully appreciate the importance of his results, the entailed explanation of spin as a consequence of the union of quantum mechanics and relativity—and the eventual discovery of the positron—represents one of the great triumphs of theoretical physics. -
5 the Dirac Equation and Spinors
5 The Dirac Equation and Spinors In this section we develop the appropriate wavefunctions for fundamental fermions and bosons. 5.1 Notation Review The three dimension differential operator is : ∂ ∂ ∂ = , , (5.1) ∂x ∂y ∂z We can generalise this to four dimensions ∂µ: 1 ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ = , , , (5.2) µ c ∂t ∂x ∂y ∂z 5.2 The Schr¨odinger Equation First consider a classical non-relativistic particle of mass m in a potential U. The energy-momentum relationship is: p2 E = + U (5.3) 2m we can substitute the differential operators: ∂ Eˆ i pˆ i (5.4) → ∂t →− to obtain the non-relativistic Schr¨odinger Equation (with = 1): ∂ψ 1 i = 2 + U ψ (5.5) ∂t −2m For U = 0, the free particle solutions are: iEt ψ(x, t) e− ψ(x) (5.6) ∝ and the probability density ρ and current j are given by: 2 i ρ = ψ(x) j = ψ∗ ψ ψ ψ∗ (5.7) | | −2m − with conservation of probability giving the continuity equation: ∂ρ + j =0, (5.8) ∂t · Or in Covariant notation: µ µ ∂µj = 0 with j =(ρ,j) (5.9) The Schr¨odinger equation is 1st order in ∂/∂t but second order in ∂/∂x. However, as we are going to be dealing with relativistic particles, space and time should be treated equally. 25 5.3 The Klein-Gordon Equation For a relativistic particle the energy-momentum relationship is: p p = p pµ = E2 p 2 = m2 (5.10) · µ − | | Substituting the equation (5.4), leads to the relativistic Klein-Gordon equation: ∂2 + 2 ψ = m2ψ (5.11) −∂t2 The free particle solutions are plane waves: ip x i(Et p x) ψ e− · = e− − · (5.12) ∝ The Klein-Gordon equation successfully describes spin 0 particles in relativistic quan- tum field theory. -
WEYL SPINORS and DIRAC's ELECTRON EQUATION C William O
WEYL SPINORS AND DIRAC’SELECTRON EQUATION c William O. Straub, PhD Pasadena, California March 17, 2005 I’ve been planning for some time now to provide a simplified write-up of Weyl’s seminal 1929 paper on gauge invariance. I’m still planning to do it, but since Weyl’s paper covers so much ground I thought I would first address a discovery that he made kind of in passing that (as far as I know) has nothing to do with gauge-invariant gravitation. It involves the mathematical objects known as spinors. Although Weyl did not invent spinors, I believe he was the first to explore them in the context of Dirac’srelativistic electron equation. However, without a doubt Weyl was the first person to investigate the consequences of zero mass in the Dirac equation and the implications this has on parity conservation. In doing so, Weyl unwittingly anticipated the existence of a particle that does not respect the preservation of parity, an unheard-of idea back in 1929 when parity conservation was a sacred cow. Following that, I will use this opportunity to derive the Dirac equation itself and talk a little about its role in particle spin. Those of you who have studied Dirac’s relativistic electron equation may know that the 4-component Dirac spinor is actually composed of two 2-component spinors that Weyl introduced to physics back in 1929. The Weyl spinors have unusual parity properties, and because of this Pauli was initially very critical of Weyl’sanalysis because it postulated massless fermions (neutrinos) that violated the then-cherished notion of parity conservation. -
2 Lecture 1: Spinors, Their Properties and Spinor Prodcuts
2 Lecture 1: spinors, their properties and spinor prodcuts Consider a theory of a single massless Dirac fermion . The Lagrangian is = ¯ i@ˆ . (2.1) L ⇣ ⌘ The Dirac equation is i@ˆ =0, (2.2) which, in momentum space becomes pUˆ (p)=0, pVˆ (p)=0, (2.3) depending on whether we take positive-energy(particle) or negative-energy (anti-particle) solutions of the Dirac equation. Therefore, in the massless case no di↵erence appears in equations for paprticles and anti-particles. Finding one solution is therefore sufficient. The algebra is simplified if we take γ matrices in Weyl repreentation where µ µ 0 σ γ = µ . (2.4) " σ¯ 0 # and σµ =(1,~σ) andσ ¯µ =(1, ~ ). The Pauli matrices are − 01 0 i 10 σ = ,σ= − ,σ= . (2.5) 1 10 2 i 0 3 0 1 " # " # " − # The matrix γ5 is taken to be 10 γ5 = − . (2.6) " 01# We can use the matrix γ5 to construct projection operators on to upper and lower parts of the four-component spinors U and V . The projection operators are 1 γ 1+γ Pˆ = − 5 , Pˆ = 5 . (2.7) L 2 R 2 Let us write u (p) U(p)= L , (2.8) uR(p) ! where uL(p) and uR(p) are two-component spinors. Since µ 0 pµσ pˆ = µ , (2.9) " pµσ¯ 0(p) # andpU ˆ (p) = 0, the two-component spinors satisfy the following (Weyl) equations µ µ pµσ uR(p)=0,pµσ¯ uL(p)=0. (2.10) –3– Suppose that we have a left handed spinor uL(p) that satisfies the Weyl equation. -
THE DIRAC OPERATOR 1. First Properties 1.1. Definition. Let X Be A
THE DIRAC OPERATOR AKHIL MATHEW 1. First properties 1.1. Definition. Let X be a Riemannian manifold. Then the tangent bundle TX is a bundle of real inner product spaces, and we can form the corresponding Clifford bundle Cliff(TX). By definition, the bundle Cliff(TX) is a vector bundle of Z=2-graded R-algebras such that the fiber Cliff(TX)x is just the Clifford algebra Cliff(TxX) (for the inner product structure on TxX). Definition 1. A Clifford module on X is a vector bundle V over X together with an action Cliff(TX) ⊗ V ! V which makes each fiber Vx into a module over the Clifford algebra Cliff(TxX). Suppose now that V is given a connection r. Definition 2. The Dirac operator D on V is defined in local coordinates by sending a section s of V to X Ds = ei:rei s; for feig a local orthonormal frame for TX and the multiplication being Clifford multiplication. It is easy to check that this definition is independent of the coordinate system. A more invariant way of defining it is to consider the composite of differential operators (1) V !r T ∗X ⊗ V ' TX ⊗ V,! Cliff(TX) ⊗ V ! V; where the first map is the connection, the second map is the isomorphism T ∗X ' TX determined by the Riemannian structure, the third map is the natural inclusion, and the fourth map is Clifford multiplication. The Dirac operator is clearly a first-order differential operator. We can work out its symbol fairly easily. The symbol1 of the connection r is ∗ Sym(r)(v; t) = iv ⊗ t; v 2 Vx; t 2 Tx X: All the other differential operators in (1) are just morphisms of vector bundles.