Diffraction for the Dirac-Coulomb propagator (Q6114481)

In this article, the authors investigate the structure of the propagator associated with the Dirac-Coulomb equation on \(\mathbb{R}^{1,3}\), which is utilized in describing the hydrogen atom. Although explicitly solved by \textit{C. G. Darwin} [Proc. R. Soc. Lond., Ser. A 118, 654--680 (1928; JFM 54.0973.06)] using separation of variables, it offers limited specific information about the Schwartz kernel of the propagator. The analysis reveals that the singularities of the Schwartz kernel of the propagator form an expanding spherical wave away from rays that do not intersect the potential singularity at the origin. Additionally, it may include an extra spherical wave of diffracted singularities originating from the origin. This diffracted wavefront, differentiated by \(1-\varepsilon\) derivatives smoother than the primary singularities for all \(\varepsilon > 0\), is identified as a conormal singularity of significant interest.