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Dirac’s Equation of Relativistic Energy-Momentum: A Compressive Derivation

Chinnaraji Annamalai

Published Oct 2, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This paper presents a mathematical derivation of the relativistic energy-momentum relation. This relation was developed by Paul Dirac in 1928, extending Einstein’s work on mass-energy equivalence and relativistic momentum
DOI
10.33774/coe-2025-nfm59

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The author has previously derived an energy-momentum relationship applicable in a hydrogen atom. Since this relationship is taken as a departure point, there is a similarity with the Dirac’s relativistic wave equation, but an equation more profound than the Dirac equation is derived. When determining the coefficients and β of the Dirac equation, Dirac assumed that the equation satisfies the Klein-Gordon equation. The Klein-Gordon equation is an equation which quantizes Einstein's energy-momentum relationship. This paper derives an equation similar to the Klein-Gordon equation by quantizing the relationship between energy and momentum of the electron in a hydrogen atom. By looking to the Dirac equation, it is predicted that there is a relativistic wave equation which satisfies that equation, and its coefficients are determined. With the Dirac equation it is necessary to insert a term for potential energy into the equation when describing the state of the electron in a hydrogen atom. However, in this paper, a potential energy term is not introduced into the relativistic wave equation. Instead, potential energy is incorporated into the equation by changing the coefficient of the Dirac equation.
In general, it is well known that the Schrödinger equation is not compatible with special relativity theory to a necessary extent.Thus far, there are already several trials to formulate versions of the Schrödinger equation to ensure compatibility with special relativity theory, the Klein-Gordon-equation or the Dirac equation are some of these attempts.Material and Methods: In this paper, Einstein's relativistic energy momentum relation is re-analyzed, a normalized relativistic energy momentum relation is derived.The derived normalized relativistic energy momentum relation together with the known Schrödinger equation is used as a starting point to establish a wave equation consistent with special relativity theory.Results: In this publication, based on Einstein's relativistic energy momentum relation, the historical problem of the "particle-wave-duality" is solved.Furthermore, a special relativity theory consistent wave equation is derived.
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Derivation of Klein–Gordon equation Goals and prior knowledge The main wave equations of relativistic quantum mechanics are the Klein–Gordon, Dirac, Weyl , and Rarita–Schwinger equations. The principal aim of this chapter is to derive these, by means of the EPI principles (3.16) and (3.18). The derivations generally follow Frieden (1995), or Frieden and Soffer (1995), with numerous additions. In addition, the Schrödinger wave equation (SWE), which is non -relativistic, is also to be derived. Since rigorous use of EPI gives only relativistic wave equations (Chapter 3), EPI can only derive the SWE in some approximate sense. This is directly carried through in Appendix D, or by taking the well-known non-relativistic limit of the Klein–Gordon equation in Appendix G. Also, in Appendix D a simple EPI derivation of classical mechanics is obtained. In particular, in the limit h → 0 the EPI extremum condition (3.16) is found to give Newton's second law , and the zero-condition (3.18) gives the virial theorem , of classical mechanics. Other derived results are Eq. (4.17) – the equivalence of mass, momentum, and energy; the constancy of the Planck constant h (Sec. 4.1.14); the Compton wavelength as an ultimate resolution length (Sec. 4.1.17); and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (Sec. 4.3). It is important to state what is assumed a priori . The relativistic properties of space and time coordinates were derived in Sec. 3.5. Hence, these are assumed here. Also, appropriate units for the concepts of mass and energy are assumed to be known, although the basic relation Eq. (4.17) between them is not presumed.
In this chapter, we investigate the Dirac equation, which is named after P. A. M. Dirac, who is one of the fathers of quantum field theory. The Dirac equation is a relativistic quantum mechanical wave equation for spin-1/2 particles (e.g. electrons), which was derived by Dirac in 1928. The difficulties in finding a consistent single-particle theory from the Klein–Gordon equation led Dirac to search for an equation that had a positive-definite conserved probability density and was first order both in time and space. One can show that these two conditions imply that a matrix equation is required. The reason why the Klein–Gordon equation did not yield a positive-definite probability density is connected with the second-order time derivative in this equation, which arises because the Klein–Gordon equation is related to the relativistic energy–momentum relation E 2 = m 2 + p 2 via the correspondence principle that includes a term E 2 . Thus, a ‘better’ Lorentz covariant wave equation with a positive-definite probability density should have a first-order time derivative only. However, the equivalence of time and space coordinates in Minkowski space requires that such an equation also have only first-order space derivatives.