Toward the Dirac Viewpoint

Mingjie Li, S. A. R. Horsley

Here we examine the propagation of relativistic fields in space-time using the viewpoint applied to derive the Rayleigh–Sommerfeld diffraction integral in three-dimensional space. We use this theory to find the propagators for both the Klein–Gordon equation and the Dirac equation. Based on these results, we highlight some apparently overlooked aspects of the Feynman checkerboard model as it is usually applied to the Dirac equation.

Viktor Trkal

Engel Roza

A derivation is presented of the quantummechanical wave equations based upon the Equity Principle of Einstein's General Relativity Theory. This is believed to be more generic than the common derivations based upon Einstein's energy relationship for moving particles. It is shown that Schrodinger's Equation, if properly formulated, is relativisticly covariant. This makes the critisized Klein-Gordon Equation for spinless massparticles obsolete. Therefore Dirac's Equation is presented from a different viewpoint and it is shown that the relativistic covariance of Schrodinger's Equation gives a natural explanation for the dual energy outcome of Dirac's derivation and for the nature of antiparticles. The propagation of wave functions in an energy field is studied in terms of propagation along geodesic lines in curved space-time, resulting in an equivalent formulation as with Feynman's path integral. It is shown that Maxwell's wave equation fits in the developed framework as the massless limit of moving particles. Finally the physical appearance of electrons is discussed including a quantitative calculation of the jitter phenomenon of a free moving electron.

Sumita Datta

We revisit the longstanding issue of why no well defined probability measure exists corresponding to a classical (Kolmogorov) path integral representation of the Dirac equation in Minkowski space. Two complementary perspectives are compared: (i) Zastawniak's observation that the distributional character of the Dirac propagator (presence of derivatives of the delta distribution) obstructs the construction of a nonnegative transition kernel, and (ii) the indefinite signature of the Minkowski metric which prevents positivity of the action and yields oscillatory integrals. We show how these viewpoints can be unified as different manifestations of a single mathematical obstruction from measure theoretical point of view, and we discuss consequences for stochastic representations of relativistic first-order equations.