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Journal of Mathematical Physics

A path integral for a nonrelativistic spinor particle

Takashi Miura

Published May 1, 1990• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

By formulating a path integral in the SU(2) fiber bundle space, a nonrelativistic spinor particle moving in external electromagnetic fields is studied. This formulation is a direct extension of Schulman’s [Phys. Rev. 176, 1588 (1968)] continuous treatment for spin; it unifies all spin states to a spherical top model. This theory enjoys a definite classical theory with spin–orbital interactions and the corresponding semiclassical approximation for the path integral. This method is also applicable to a particle moving in a more general Yang–Mills field.

DOI
10.1063/1.528752

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By formulating a path integral in the SU(2) fiber bundle space, a nonrelativistic spinor particle moving in external electromagnetic fields is studied. This formulation is a direct extension of Schulman’s [Phys. Rev. 176, 1588 (1968)] continuous treatment for spin; it unifies all spin states to a spherical top model. This theory enjoys a definite classical theory with spin–orbital interactions and the corresponding semiclassical approximation for the path integral. This method is also applicable to a particle moving in a more general Yang–Mills field.
A path integral for spinning particles is developed. It is a one-particle theory, equivalent to the usual quantum mechanics. Our method employs a classical model for spin which is quantized by path integration. The model, the spherical top, is a natural one from a group-theoretic point of view and has been used before in a similar context. The curvature and multiple connectedness of the top coordinate space [SO(3)\mathrm{SO}(3)SO(3)] provide some interesting features in the sum over paths. The Green's function which results from this procedure propagates all spins, and recovery of the usual Pauli spinors from this formalism is achieved by projection to a specific spin subspace.
Starting with path integrals in the SU(2) coherent state representation, the semiclassical approximation of the propagator for the spin system is investigated. By extending the idea of the semiclassical expansion method, which was developed in the usual phase-space path integrals, to the path integrals in the curved phase space, which is characteristic of the SU(2) coherent states, we obtain a closed form for the semiclassical propagator. As an application, we discuss the semiclassical quantization condition for the spin system.
This is the first of a series of papers developing the classical theory of a spinning particle. The equations of motion will be derived from a Lagrangian, and solutions for the classical trajectory and spin precession in external fields will be given. In this paper an abstract spin vector is introduced to characterize the spin of a classical particle. Lagrangians for the classical trajectories and for the motion of the abstract spin vector are derived from corresponding quantum-mechanical Lagrangians by the WKBJ approximation method for nonrelativistic and relativistic particles. The equations of motion for the trajectory and the abstract spin vector following from the extremalization of these Lagrangians are given. The equations of motion for the precession in an external electromagnetic field of the spin vector (or tensor) in space–time is derived from the equations of motion for the abstract spin vector. In the relativistic case, they are equivalent to the Bargmann–Michel–Telegdi equations [Phys. Rev. Lett. 2, 435 (1959)]. The relationship between the ensemble and single-particle points of view is also elucidated.
The Feynman path integral plays a central role in quantum mechanics, linking classical action to propagators and relating quantum electrodynamics (QED) to Feynman diagrams. However, the path-integral formulations used in non-relativistic quantum mechanics and in QED are neither unified nor directly connected. This suggests the existence of a missing path integral that bridges relativistic action and the Dirac equation at the single-particle level. In this work, we analyze the consistency and completeness of existing path-integral theories and identify a spinor path integral that fills this gap. Starting from a relativistic action written in spinor form, we construct a spacetime path integral whose kernel reproduces the Dirac Hamiltonian. The resulting formulation provides a direct link between the relativistic classical action and the Dirac equation, and it naturally extends the scalar relativistic path integral developed in our earlier work. Beyond establishing this structural connection, the spinor path integral offers a new way to interpret the origin of classical mechanics for the Dirac equation and suggests a spacetime mechanism for spin and quantum nonlocal correlations. These features indicate that the spinor path integral can serve as a unifying framework for existing path-integral approaches and as a starting point for further investigations into the spacetime structure of quantum mechanics.
We propose a new systematic fibre bundle formulation of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics. The new form of the theory is equivalent to the usual one and is in harmony with the modern trends in theoretical physics and potentially admits new generalizations in different directions. In it the Hilbert space of a quantum system (from conventional quantum mechanics) is replaced with an appropriate Hilbert bundle of states and a pure state of the system is described by a lifting of paths or sections along paths in this bundle. The evolution of a pure state is determined through the bundle (analogue of the) Schrödinger equation. Now the dynamical variables and density operators are described via liftings of paths or morphisms along paths in suitable bundles. The mentioned quantities are connected by a number of relations derived in this paper. In the third part of our series we investigate the bundle analogues of the conventional pictures of motion. In particular, we find the state liftings and observable liftings corresponding to state vectors and observables respectively in the different pictures of motion. The equations of motion for these quantities are derived. Using the results obtained, problems concerning the integrals of motion are considered from the bundle viewpoint. Necessary and sufficient invariant bundle conditions for a dynamical variable to be an integral of motion are found.