Solutions of the Maxwell equations and photon wave functions

DOI10.1016/J.AOP.2009.11.007zbMATH Open1198.81096arXiv0910.1874OpenAlexW2150030178MaRDI QIDQ2379286FDOQ2379286

Authors: Peter J. Mohr 

Publication date: 19 March 2010

Published in: Annals of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: Properties of six-component electromagnetic field solutions of a matrix form of the Maxwell equations, analogous to the four-component solutions of the Dirac equation, are described. It is shown that the six-component equation, including sources, is invariant under Lorentz transformations. Complete sets of eigenfunctions of the Hamiltonian for the electromagnetic fields, which may be interpreted as photon wave functions, are given both for plane waves and for angular-momentum eigenstates. Rotationally invariant projection operators are used to identify transverse or longitudinal electric and magnetic fields. For plane waves, the velocity transformed transverse wave functions are also transverse, and the velocity transformed longitudinal wave functions include both longitudinal and transverse components. A suitable sum over these eigenfunctions provides a Green function for the matrix Maxwell equation, which can be expressed in the same covariant form as the Green function for the Dirac equation. Radiation from a dipole source and from a Dirac atomic transition current are calculated to illustrate applications of the Maxwell Green function.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0910.1874

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zbMATH Keywords

quantum electrodynamicselectromagnetic interactionclosed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Electromagnetic theory (general) (78A25) Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Electromagnetic interaction; quantum electrodynamics (81V10)

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Cited In (15)

• Non-existence of photon spin in conventional theory
• Particle states of the radiation field
• On the Majorana representation of the optical Dirac equation
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Maxwell equations and the redundant gauge degree of freedom
• Sources, potentials and fields in Lorenz and Coulomb gauge: cancellation of instantaneous interactions for moving point charges
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Finite precision function theory and photon solution of Einstein-Maxwell equations
• A soft-photon theorem for the Maxwell-Lorentz system
• On the quantum-mechanics of a single photon
• Optical Dirac equation
• The role of the Riemann-Silberstein vector in classical and quantum theories of electromagnetism
• Mathematical models of photons
• Can the \(6\)-component Weinberg-Tucker-Hammer equations describe the electromagnetic field?
• Transverse and longitudinal components of the optical self-, near-, middle- and far-field

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