Abstract
A simplified formalism of first quantized massless fields of any spin is presented. The angular momentum basis for particles of zero mass and finite spin s of the D(s-1/2,1/2) representation of the Lorentz group is used to describe the wavefunctions. The advantage of the formalism is that by equating to zero the s - 1 components of the wavefunctions, the 2s - 1 subsidiary conditions (needed to eliminate the non-forward and non-backward helicities) are automatically satisfied. Probability currents and Lagrangians are derived allowing a first quantized formalism. A simple procedure is derived for connecting the wavefunctions with potentials and gauge conditions. The spin 1 case is of particular interest and is described with the D(1/2,1/2) vector representation of the well known self-dual representation of the Maxwell's equations. This representation allows us to generalize Maxwell's equations by adding the E0 and B0 components to the electric and magnetic four-vectors. Restrictions on their existence are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 012011 |
Journal | Journal of Physics: Conference Series |
Volume | 615 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 14 May 2015 |
Event | 9th Biennial Conference on Classical and Quantum Relativistic Dynamics of Particles and Fields, IARD 2014 - Storrs, United States Duration: 9 Jun 2014 → 13 Jun 2014 |
Keywords
- any spin
- generalized Maxwell's equations
- massless particles
- wave equations
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy