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Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics

The non-relativistic limits of the Maxwell and Dirac equations: the role of Galilean and gauge invariance

Peter Holland, Harvey R. Brown

Published Apr 4, 2003• 49 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1016/s1355-2198(03)00005-4

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•Oct 2, 2026•0 citations
This paper undertakes a study of the nature of the force associated with the local U (1) gauge symmetry of a non-relativistic quantum particle. To ensure invariance under local U (1) symmetry, a matter field must couple to a gauge field. We show that such a gauge field necessarily satisfies the Maxwell equations, whether the matter field coupled to it is relativistic or non-relativistic. This result suggests that the structure of the Maxwell equations is determined by gauge symmetry rather than the symmetry transformation properties of space-time. In order to assess the validity of this notion, we examine the transformation properties of the coupled matter and gauge fields under Galilean transformations. Our main technical result is the Galilean invariance of the full equations of motion of the U (1) gauge field.
We show that the first order form of the Schrodinger equation proposed in [1] can be obtained from the Dirac equation in the non-relativistic limit. We also show that the Pauli Hamiltonian is obtained from this equation by requiring local gauge invariance. In addition, we study the problem of a spin up particle incident on a finite potential barrier and show that the known quantum mechanical results are obtained. Finally, we consider the symmetric potential well and show that the quantum mechanical expression for the quantized energy levels of a particle is obtained with periodic boundary conditions. Based on these conclusions, we propose that the equation introduced in [1] is the non-relativistic limit of the Dirac equation and more appropriately describes spin 1/2 particles in the non-relativistic limit.
This paper extends the preceding Schrödinger-based analysis to the relativistic Dirac framework and examines how gauge covariance, spin magnetism, and quantum-vacuum effects deepen the connection between quantum theory and Maxwell electrodynamics. Local phase invariance of the Dirac equation yields the electromagnetic field tensor, while the conserved Dirac four-current provides a covariant source for Maxwell’s equations. The Pauli limit recovers g=2g=2 and the Bohr magneton, and the Gordon decomposition separates convection and spin-magnetization currents. The Foldy–Wouthuysen expansion further connects relativistic quantum dynamics to spin–orbit and Darwin terms involving the electromagnetic fields. Hydrogen fine-structure and Darwin-shift benchmarks are evaluated quantitatively, while the Dirac velocity operator and Zitterbewegung scale are compared with the magnetic dipole length appearing in the SQC/MSC M1 formulation. The analysis is then extended to the quantum vacuum through the Schwinger critical fields and Euler–Heisenberg effective theory, including vacuum birefringence. The paper distinguishes structural consequences of relativistic quantum mechanics from electromagnetic field dynamics that must still be specified independently.