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Physical review. D. Particles, fields, gravitation, and cosmology/Physical review. D. Particles and fields

Consistent formulation of relativistic dynamics for massive spin-zero particles in external fields

Eduard Prugovečki

Published Nov 15, 1978• 52 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It is shown that in the context of stochastic-phase-space formulations of quantum mechanics a nonlocal type of nonrelativistic as well as relativistic dynamics for a massive spin-zero particle moving in an external electromagnetic field can be formulated in ${L}^{2}(\ensuremath{\Gamma})$ space. In a sharp-point limit $s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}+0$ the nonrelativistic dynamics merges into the conventional local model. The relativistic dynamics is gauge invariant, it can be formulated covariantly in the relativistic phase space ${M}_{m}$, it possesses a covariant propagator, it leaves the space of positive-energy solutions of the Klein-Gordon equation invariant, and it gives rise to a covariant and conserved probability current on stochastic phase space. Furthermore, for states describing a particle moving at nonrelativistic speeds in relation to a given inertial frame, the relativistic propagation contracts into its nonrelativistic counterpart. The sharp-point limit $s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}+0$ of the relativistic $S$ matrix also exists in each such inertial frame. The necessity of interactions acting at nonsharp configuration points for a consistent formulation of covariant relativistic one-particle dynamics is traced to the question of the nonexistence of covariant position operators in relativistic theories. The mandatory character of this feature is shown to be firmly rooted in the theory of quantum measurement.

DOI
10.1103/physrevd.18.3655

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It is shown that in the context of stochastic-phase-space formulations of quantum mechanics a nonlocal type of nonrelativistic as well as relativistic dynamics for a massive spin-zero particle moving in an external electromagnetic field can be formulated in L2(\ensuremathΓ){L}^{2}(\ensuremath{\Gamma})L2(\ensuremathΓ) space. In a sharp-point limit s\ensuremath→+0s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}+0s\ensuremath→+0 the nonrelativistic dynamics merges into the conventional local model. The relativistic dynamics is gauge invariant, it can be formulated covariantly in the relativistic phase space Mm{M}_{m}Mm​, it possesses a covariant propagator, it leaves the space of positive-energy solutions of the Klein-Gordon equation invariant, and it gives rise to a covariant and conserved probability current on stochastic phase space. Furthermore, for states describing a particle moving at nonrelativistic speeds in relation to a given inertial frame, the relativistic propagation contracts into its nonrelativistic counterpart. The sharp-point limit s\ensuremath→+0s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}+0s\ensuremath→+0 of the relativistic SSS matrix also exists in each such inertial frame. The necessity of interactions acting at nonsharp configuration points for a consistent formulation of covariant relativistic one-particle dynamics is traced to the question of the nonexistence of covariant position operators in relativistic theories. The mandatory character of this feature is shown to be firmly rooted in the theory of quantum measurement.
It is shown that to every Galilei-covariant nonrelativistic stochastic phase space representation of a system of massive particles, whose generator is rotationally invariant, corresponds a Poincaré-covariant relativistic representation sharing the same generator. The stochastic phase space probability densities of the two representations overlap in the limit of nonrelativistic velocities in the laboratory frame. The relativistic representations give rise to covariant and conserved probability currents at stochastic space–time points, in complete analogy with their nonrelativistic counterparts. This parallelism extends to the existence of a global representation of the proper Poincaré group in L2(Γ), which is reduced by each subspace of L2(Γ) spanned by the set of phase-space wavefunctions generated by some stochastic phase space representation of all pure states of the system.
The relativistic generalization of stochastic quantization helps us to introduce a stochastic-phase-space formulation when a relativistic quantum particle appears as a stochastically extended one. The nonrelativistic quantum mechanics is obtained in the sharp point limit. This also helps us to introduce a gauge-theoretical extension of a relativistic quantum particle when for a fermion the group structure of the gauge field is SU(2). The sharp point limit is obtained when we have a minimal contribution of the residual gauge field retained in the limiting procedure. This is shown to be equivalent to the geometrical approach to the phase-space quantization introduced by Klauder if it is interpreted in terms of a universal magnetic field acting on a free particle moving in a higher-dimensional configuration space when quantization corresponds to freezing the particle to its first Landau level. The geometric quantization then appears as a natural consequence of these two formalisms, since the Hermitian line bundle introduced there finds a physical meaning in terms of the inherent gauge field in stochastic-phase-space formulation or in the interaction with the magnetic field in Klauder quantization.
Motivated by the difficulties which persist in the construction of a consistent description of interacting relativistic particles with spin greater than 1, we examine the analogous problem within the framework of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics and find that all of the difficulties vanish in the (Galilei-invariant) limit. It is found that a unique, first-order, Galilei-covariant wave equation describing massive, spin-sss particles follows from general invariance assumptions and a minimality condition on the number of components of the wave function. The minimal theory has 6s+16s+16s+1 components (2s+12s+12s+1 of which are independent) and admits a consistent quantum-mechanical interpretation. An external electromagnetic field interaction is introduced via the minimal-coupling replacement, and, in contrast with the relativistic case, a consistent theory emerges for arbitrary spin. The Galilean spin-sss particles so described are found to possess only an electric charge and a magnetic dipole with a ggg factor of 1s\frac{1}{s}s1​. The Galilei-invariant addition of arbitrary moment terms is also described. The extension of the formalism to second-quantized spin-sss fields is discussed, and it is found that in that case, too, the difficulties are peculiar to the relativistic case. Reasons for the simplicity of the Galilei case are presented. Finally, for the sake of completeness, the first-order form of the Schr\"odinger theory is presented, as well as examples of theories which violate the minimality condition.
In this paper the relativistic quantum mechanics (QM) is considered in the framework of the nonstandard synchronization scheme, which preserves the Poincar\'e covariance but (at least formally) distinguishes an inertial frame. This enables one to avoid the problem with a strong formulation of local causality related to the breaking of Bell's inequalities in QM. Our analysis has been focused mainly on the problem of the existence of a proper position operator for massive particles. We have proved that in our framework such an operator exists for particles with arbitrary spin. This operator is Hermitian and covariant, it has commuting components, and its eigenvectors (localized states) are covariant too. We have found an explicit form of the position operator and demonstrated that it coincides with the Newton-Wigner one in the preferred frame. We have also defined a covariant spin operator and constructed an invariant spin squared operator. Moreover, full algebra of observables consisting of position, four-momentum, and spin operators is manifestly Poincar\'e covariant in this framework. Our results support expectations of other authors [J. S. Bell, in Quantum Gravity, edited by C. J. Isham, R. Penrose, and D. W. Sciama (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1981), p. 611; P. H. Eberhard, Nuovo Cimento B 46, 392 (1978)] that a consistent formulation of quantum mechanics demands the existence of a preferred frame.
We consider a massive particle of arbitrary spin and the basis vectors that carry the unitary, irreducible representations of the Poincaré group. From the complex coefficients in normalizable superpositions of these basis vectors, we identify momentum/spin-component probability amplitudes with the same interpretation as in the nonrelativistic theory. We find the relativistic transformations of these amplitudes, which are unitary in that they preserve the modulus-squared of scalar products from frame to frame. Space inversion and time reversal are also treated. We reconsider the Newton- Wigner construction of eigenvectors of position and the position operator. Position/spin-component probability amplitudes are also identified and their relativistic, unitary, transformations derived. Again, space inversion and time reversal are considered. For reference, we show how to construct positive energy solutions of the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations in terms of probability amplitudes. We find the boost transformation of the position operator in the spinless case and present some results on the relativity of position measurements. We consider issues surrounding the classical concept of causality as it applies in quantum mechanics. We briefly examine the relevance of the results presented here for theories of interaction.
It is generally acknowledged that neither the Klein-Gordon equation nor the Dirac Hamiltonian can produce sound solitary-particle relativistic quantum mechanics due to the ill effects of their negative-energy solutions; instead their field-quantized wavefunctions are reinterpreted as dealing with particle and antiparticle simultaneously--despite the clear physical distinguishability of antiparticle from particle and the empirically known slight breaking of the underlying CP invariance. The natural square-root Hamiltonian of the free relativistic solitary particle is iterated to obtain the Klein-Gordon equation and linearized to obtain the Dirac Hamiltonian, steps that have calculational but not physical motivation, and which generate the above-mentioned problematic negative-energy solutions as extraneous artifacts. Since the natural square root Hamiltonian for the free relativistic solitary particle contrariwise produces physically unexceptionable quantum mechanics, this article focuses on extending that Hamiltonian to describe a solitary particle (of either spin 0 or spin one-half) in relativistic interaction with an external electromagnetic field. That is achieved by use of Lorentz-covariant solitary-particle four momentum techniques together with the assumption that well-known nonrelativistic dynamics applies in the particle's rest frame. Lorentz-invariant solitary particle actions, whose formal Hamiltonization is an equivalent alternative approach, are as well explicitly displayed. It is proposed that two separate solitary-particle wavefunctions, one for a particle and the other for its antiparticle, be independently quantized in lieu of "reinterpreting" negative energy solutions--which indeed don't even afflict proper solitary particles.