Comment on `Dirac theory in spacetime algebra'

DOI10.1088/0305-4470/35/22/401zbMATH Open1045.81016arXivquant-ph/0202060OpenAlexW2086403877MaRDI QIDQ4465745FDOQ4465745

Authors: W. E. Baylis 

Publication date: 9 June 2004

Published in: Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and General (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: In contrast to formulations of the Dirac theory by Hestenes and by the current author, the formulation recently presented by W. P. Joyce [J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 34 (2001) 1991--2005] is equivalent to the usual Dirac equation only in the case of vanishing mass. For nonzero mass, solutions to Joyce's equation can be solutions either of the Dirac equation in the Hestenes form or of the same equation with the sign of the mass reversed, and in general they are mixtures of the two possibilities. Because of this relationship, Joyce obtains twice as many linearly independent plane-wave solutions for a given momentum eigenvalue as exist in the conventional theory. A misconception about the symmetry of the Hestenes equation and the geometric significance of the algebraic spinors is also briefly discussed.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0202060

Recommendations

• Reply to Comment on `Dirac theory in spacetime algebra'
• Dirac theory in spacetime algebra. I: The generalized bivector Dirac equation
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1551890
• Quaternionic electron theory: Geometry, algebra, and Dirac's spinors
• The Dirac equation: an approach through geometric algebra

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Spinor and twistor methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81R25) Covariant wave equations in quantum theory, relativistic quantum mechanics (81R20) Clifford algebras, spinors (15A66)

Cited In (9)

• Discrete Dirac-Kähler and Hestenes equations
• Dirac theory in spacetime algebra. I: The generalized bivector Dirac equation
• Reply to Comment on `Dirac theory in spacetime algebra'
• Equivalence of Daviau's, Hestenes', and Parra's formulations of Dirac theory
• Comment on “Levinson's Theorem for the Dirac Equation”
• Chiral properties of discrete Joyce and Hestenes equations
• Equivalence of Dirac formulations
• A discrete version of plane wave solutions of the Dirac equation in the Joyce form
• A discrete Dirac-Kähler equation using a geometric discretisation scheme

This page was built for publication: Comment on `Dirac theory in spacetime algebra'

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q4465745)