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Journal of Mathematical Physics

The Z i t t e r b e w e g u n g of a Dirac particle in two-dimensional space-time

Takashi Ichinose, Hiroshi Tamura

Published Jan 1, 1988• 21 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The path space measures that have been constructed in the present authors’ previous papers to give path integral formulas in quantum mechanics for a Dirac particle in two-dimensional space-time are shown to be concentrated on those paths that have differential coefficients equal to plus or minus the light velocity in every finite time interval except at finitely many instants of time.

DOI
10.1063/1.528162

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The path space measures that have been constructed in the present authors’ previous papers to give path integral formulas in quantum mechanics for a Dirac particle in two-dimensional space-time are shown to be concentrated on those paths that have differential coefficients equal to plus or minus the light velocity in every finite time interval except at finitely many instants of time.
A nonstandard path space * -measure is constructed to justify the path integral formula for the Dirac equation in two-dimensional space–time. A standard measure as well as a standard path integral is obtained from it. We also show that, even for the Schrödinger equation, for which there is no standard measure appropriate for a path integral, there exists a nonstandard measure to define a * -path integral whose standard part agrees with the ordinary path integral as defined by a limit from time-slice approximant.
Rigorous path integral formulas are given which represent, in two space-time dimensions, the fundamental solution of the Cauchy problem for the Dirac equation as well as the retarded and advanced propagators for the Dirac particle. It is also shown that the theory can be applied to a free particle and a particle in a central electric field in four space-time dimensions and reveals some aspects of the path integral. Heuristically discussed is the connection with the phase space path integral or Hamiltonian path integral.
Through a very careful analysis of Dirac's 1932 paper on the Lagrangian in Quantum Mechanics as well as the second and third editions of his classic book {\it The Principles of Quantum Mechanics}, I show that Dirac's contributions to the birth of the path-integral approach to quantum mechanics is not restricted to just his seminal demonstration of how Lagrangians appear naturally in quantum mechanics, but that Dirac should be credited for creating a path-integral which I call {\it Dirac path-integral} which is far more general than Feynman's while possessing all its desirable features. On top of it, the Dirac path-integral is fully compatible with the inevitable quantisation ambiguities, while the Feynman path-integral can never have that full consistency. In particular, I show that the claim by Feynman that for infinitesimal time intervals, what Dirac thought were analogues were actually proportional can not be correct always. I have also shown the conection between Dirac path-integrals and the Schrödinger equation. In particular, it is shown that each choice of Dirac path-integral yields a {\it quantum Hamiltonian} that is generically different from what the Feynman path-integral gives, and that all of them have the same {\it classical analogue}. Dirac's method of demonstrating the least action principle for classical mechanics generalizes in a most straightforward way to all the generalized path-integrals.