The Dirac Equation
Ever since its invention in 1929 the Dirac equation has played a fundamental role in various areas of modern physics and mathematics. Its applications are so widespread that a description of all aspects cannot be done with sufficient depth within a single
- PDF / 30,861,118 Bytes
- 373 Pages / 439.924 x 666.777 pts Page_size
- 78 Downloads / 401 Views
Bernd Thaller
The Dirac Equation
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
Dr. Bernd Thaller Institut fUr Mathematik, Karl-Franzens-Universităt Graz Heinrichstr. 36, A-SOlO Graz, Austria
Editors Wolf BeiglbOck
Walter Thirring
Institut fUr Angewandte Mathematik Universităt Heidelberg Im Neuenheimer Feld 294 W-6900 Heidelberg 1, FRG
Institut fUr Theoretische Physik der Universităt Wien Boltzmanngasse 5 A-I090 Wien, Austria
Elliott H. Lieb Jadwin Hali Princeton University P. O. Box 708 Princeton, NJ 08544-0708, USA
ISBN 978-3-642-08134-7
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. Thaller. Bernd, 1956~ The Dirac equation / Bernd Thaller. p. cm, ~ (Texts and monographs in physics) Includes bibliographical references and index, ISBN 978-3-642-08134-7 ISBN 978-3-662-02753-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-662-02753-0 1. Dirac equation. 2. Relativistic quantum theory. 3. Quantum electrodynamics. I. Title. II. Series. QC 174.26.W28T43 1992 530.1 '24~dc20 92-12288 This work is subject to copyright. AII rights are reserved, whether the whole ar part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights oftranslation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations. recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication ar parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer- Verlag. Violations are liable far prosecution under the German Copyright Law.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1992 Urspriinglich erschienen bei Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York 1992 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1 st edition 1992 The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefare frec for general use. Typesetting: Camera ready by authar 55/3140-5432 10- Printed on acid-free paper
Preface
Ever since its invention in 1929 the Dirac equation has played a fundamental role in various areas of modern physics and mathematics. Its applications are so widespread that a description of all aspects cannot be done with sufficient depth within a single volume. In this book the emphasis is on the role of the Dirac equation in the relativistic quantum mechanics of spin-1/2 particles. We cover the range from the description of a single free particle to the external field problem in quantum electrodynamics. Relativistic quantum mechanics is the historical origin of the Dirac equation and has become a fixed part of the education of theoretical physicists. There are some famous textbooks covering this area. Since the appearance of these standard texts many books (both physical and mathematical) on the nonrelativistic Schrodinger equation have been published, but only very few on the Dirac equation. I wrote this book because I felt that a modern, comprehen
