WKB analysis of relativistic Stern–Gerlach measurements

Spin is an important quantum degree of freedom in relativistic quantum information theory. This paper provides a first-principles derivation of the observable corresponding to a Stern–Gerlach measurement with relativistic particle velocity. The specific mathematical form of the Stern–Gerlach operator is established using the transformation properties of the electromagnetic field. To confirm that this is indeed the correct operator we provide a detailed analysis of the Stern–Gerlach measurement process. We do this by applying a WKB approximation to the minimally coupled Dirac equation describing an interaction between a massive fermion and an electromagnetic field. Making use of the superposition principle we show that the +1 and −1 spin eigenstates of the proposed spin operator are split into separate packets due to the inhomogeneity of the Stern–Gerlach magnetic field. The operator we obtain is dependent on the momentum between particle and Stern–Gerlach apparatus, and is mathematically distinct from two other commonly used operators. The consequences for quantum tomography are considered.     

Relativistic distribution function for particles with spin at local thermodynamical equilibrium

We present an extension of relativistic single-particle distribution function for weakly interacting particles at local thermodynamical equilibrium including spin degrees of freedom, for massive spin 1/2 particles. We infer, on the basis of the global equilibrium case, that at local thermodynamical equilibrium particles acquire a net polarization proportional to the vorticity of the inverse temperature four-vector field. The obtained formula for polarization also implies that a steady gradient of temperature entails a polarization orthogonal to particle momentum. The single-particle distribution function in momentum space extends the so-called Cooper–Frye formula to particles with spin 1/2 and allows us to predict their polarization in relativistic heavy ion collisions at the freeze-out.     

The Spin Interaction of a Dirac Particle in an Aharonov-Bohm Potential in First Order Scattering

For a Dirac particle in an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) potential, it is shown that the spin interaction (SI) operator which governs the transitions in the spin sector of the first order S-matrix is related to one of the generators of rotation in the spin space of the particle. This operator, which is given by the projection of the spin operator Σ along the direction of the total momentum of the system, and the two operators constructed from the projections of the Σ operator along the momentum transfer and the z-directions close the SU(2) algebra. It is suggested, then, that these two directions of the total momentum and the momentum transfer form some sort of natural intrinsic directions in terms of which the spin dynamics of the scattering process at first order can be formulated conveniently. A formulation and an interpretation of the conservation of helicity at first order using the spin projection operators along these directions is presented.     

自旋为任意整数的传播子

以自旋为任意整数的自由粒子的波函数(Bargmann-Wigner方程的解)为基础，进一步研究了 自旋为任意整数的投影算符和传播子.证明了Behrends和Fronsdal所构造的投影算符是正确 的.导出了自旋为任意整数的场的一般对易规则和费恩曼传播子的一般表达式. 关键词： 整数自旋 投影算符 对易规则 费恩曼传播子     

Entropy identity and equilibrium conditions in relativistic thermodynamics

Starting out with the balance equations for energy-momentum, spin, particle and entropy density, an approach is considered which represents a framework for special- and general-relativistic continuum thermodynamics. A general entropy density 4-vector, containing particle, energy-momentum, and spin density contributions, is introduced. This makes possible, firstly, to test special entropy density 4-vectors used by other authors with respect to their generality and validity and, secondly, to determine entropy supply and entropy production. Using this entropy density 4-vector, material-independent equilibrium conditions are discussed. While in literature, generally thermodynamic equilibrium is determined by introducing a variety of conditions by hand, the present approach proceeds as follows: For a comparatively wide class of space–time geometries, the necessary equilibrium conditions of vanishing entropy supply and vanishing entropy production are exploited. Because these necessary equilibrium conditions do not determine the equilibrium, supplementary conditions are added systematically motivated by the requirement that also all parts of the necessary conditions have to be fixed in equilibrium.     

相对论粒子的自旋算符

发展了关于相对论态自旋算符的系统理论.考虑了具有非零静质量的粒子情况.对带自旋的相对论粒子,通常的自旋算符需换为相对论的自旋算符.在Poincar啨群不可约表示的框架里,构造了适用于粒子任意正则态的自旋算符,称为运动自旋.本文的讨论限于量子力学.随后将在量子场论中对此作进一步深入研究.     

Semiclassical approximation of the Dirac equation with supersymmetry

The general scheme of the successive construction of semiclassical approximation for the classical Dirac equation in a background Yang-Mills field, where the usual Dirac operator is replaced by that with supersymmetry, is suggested. The first two terms of the semiclassical expansion in Planck’s constant are derived in an explicit form. It is shown that supersymmetry of the initial Dirac operator leads to appearance of new additional terms in the classical equation of motion for spin of a particle and ipso facto requires appropriate modification for the Lagrangian of the spinning particle. The result obtained is used for the construction of one-to-one mapping between two Lagrangians of a classical color-charged spinning particle, one of which possesses local supersymmetry, and another doesn’t. It is demonstrated that for recovery of the one-to-oneness the additional terms obtained above in the semiclassical approximation of the Dirac operator with supersymmetry should be added to the Lagrangian without supersymmetry.     

Feynman propagator for an arbitrary half—integral spin

Based on the solution to Bargmann－Wigner equation for a particle with arbitrary half-integral spin, a direct derivation of the projection operator and propagator for a particle with arbitrary half-integral spin is worked out. The projection operator constructed by Behrends and Fronsdal is re-deduced and confirmed and simplified, the general commutation rules and Feynman propagator with additional non-covariant terms for a free particle with arbitrary half-integral spin are derived, and explicit expressions for the propagators for spins 3/2, 5/2 and 7/2 are provided.     

Thermal relaxation for the Relativistic Ornstein–Uhlenbeck Process

The thermal relaxation of a relativistic particle diffusing in a fluid at equilibrium is investigated through a numerical study of the Relativistic Ornstein–Uhlenbeck Process. The spectrum of the relaxation operator has both a discrete and a continuous component. Both components are fully characterized and the limit between them is given a simple interpretation. Short-time relaxation is addressed separately, and a global effective relaxation time is also computed. The general conclusion is that relativistic effects slow down thermalization.     

Relativistic Spin Operators

A systematic theory on the appropriate spin operators for the relativistic states is developed.For a massive relativistic particle with arbitrary nonzero spin,the spin operator should be replaced with the relativistic one,which is called in this paper as moving spin.Further the concept of moving spin is discussed in the quantum field theory.A new operator,field quanta spin is defined and in terms of the generators of Poincare group the moving spin of field system is constructed.It is shown that,in virtue of the two operators,problems in quantum field concerned spin can be neatly settled.     

Spin force and torque in non-relativistic Dirac oscillator on a sphere

The spin force operator on a non-relativistic Dirac oscillator (in the non-relativistic limit the Dirac oscillator is a spin one-half 3D harmonic oscillator with strong spin–orbit interaction) is derived using the Heisenberg equations of motion and is seen to be formally similar to the force by the electromagnetic field on a moving charged particle. When confined to a sphere of radius R, it is shown that the Hamiltonian of this non-relativistic oscillator can be expressed as a mere kinetic energy operator with an anomalous part. As a result, the power by the spin force and torque operators in this case are seen to vanish. The spin force operator on the sphere is calculated explicitly and its torque is shown to be equal to the rate of change of the kinetic orbital angular momentum operator, again with an anomalous part. This, along with the conservation of the total angular momentum, suggests that the spin force exerts a spin-dependent torque on the kinetic orbital angular momentum operator in order to conserve total angular momentum. The presence of an anomalous spin part in the kinetic orbital angular momentum operator gives rise to an oscillatory behavior similar to the Zitterbewegung. It is suggested that the underlying physics that gives rise to the spin force and the Zitterbewegung is one and the same in NRDO and in systems that manifest spin Hall effect.     

Projection Operator and Feynman Propagator for a Free MassiVe Particle of Arbitrary Spin

Based on the solution to the Bargmann-Wigner equations, a direct derivation of the projection operator and Feynman propagator for a free massive particle of arbitrary spin is worked out. The projection operator constructed by Behrends and Fronsdal is re-deduced and confirmed, and simplified in the case of half-integral spin, the general commutation rules and Feynman propagator with additional non-covariant terms for a free massive particle with any spin are derived, and explicit expressions for the propagators for spins 3/2, 2, 5/2, 3, 7/2, and 4 are provided.     

The ideal relativistic rotating gas as a perfect fluid with spin

We show that the ideal relativistic spinning gas at complete thermodynamical equilibrium is a fluid with a non-vanishing spin density tensor σ_μν. After having obtained the expression of the local spin-dependent phase-space density f(x, p)_στ in the Boltzmann approximation, we derive the spin density tensor and show that it is proportional to the acceleration tensor Ω_μν constructed with the Frenet-Serret tetrad. We recover the proper generalization of the fundamental thermodynamical relation, involving an additional term −(1/2)Ω_μνσ^μν. We also show that the spin density tensor has a non-vanishing projection onto the four-velocity field, i.e. t^μ = σ_μνu^ν ≠ 0, in contrast to the common assumption t^μ = 0, known as Frenkel condition, in the thus-far proposed theories of relativistic fluids with spin. We briefly address the viewpoint of the accelerated observer and inertial spin effects.     

Feynman propagator for a particle with arbitrary spin

Based on the solution to the Rarita-Schwinger equations, a direct derivation of the projection operator and propagator for a particle with arbitrary spin is worked out. The projection operator constructed by Behrends and Fronsdal is re-deduced and confirmed, and simplified in the case of half-integral spin; the general commutation rules and Feynman propagator for a free particle of any spin are derived, and explicit expressions for the propagators for spins 3/2, 2, 5/2, 3, 7/2, 4 are provided.Received: 13 March 2003, Revised: 24 April 2005, Published online: 6 July 2005     

Deuteron Disintegration in Three Dimensions

We compare results from traditional partial wave treatment of deuteron electro-disintegration with a new approach that uses three-dimensional formalism. The new framework for the two-nucleon (2N) system using a complete set of isospin–spin states made it possible to construct simple implementations that employ a very general operator form of the current operator and 2N states.     

Ising Correlations and Elliptic Determinants

Correlation functions of the two-dimensional Ising model on the periodic lattice can be expressed in terms of form factors—matrix elements of the spin operator in the basis of common eigenstates of the transfer matrix and translation operator. Free-fermion structure of the model implies that any multiparticle form factor is given by the pfaffian of a matrix constructed from the two-particle ones. Crossed two-particle form factors can be obtained by inverting a block of the matrix of linear transformation induced on fermions by the spin conjugation. We show that the corresponding matrix is of elliptic Cauchy type and use this observation to solve the inversion problem explicitly. Non-crossed two-particle form factors are then obtained using theta functional interpolation formulas. This gives a new simple proof of the factorized formulas for periodic Ising form factors, conjectured by A. Bugrij and one of the authors.     

Tensor product representation of qubit and its transform under linear-operator action

The general one-particle spin states are considered. It is shown that information contained in a spin-1/2 state can be recorded in an equivalent form with the help of three mixed completely decoherent qubit states. The density matrix of such a system has the form of the tensor product of three diagonal matrices. The linear operator defined in the space of one-particle spin states generates some transform of the tensor products of the diagonal matrices. We construct this transform in the explicit form.     

Environment-induced decoherence I. The Stern-Gerlach measurement

A dynamical model for the collapse of the wave function in a quantum measurement process is proposed by considering the interaction of a quantum system (spin -1/2) with a macroscopic quantum apparatus interacting with an environment in a dissipative manner. The dissipative interaction leads to decoherence in the superposition states of the apparatus, making its behaviour classical in the sense that the density matrix becomes diagonal with time. Since the apparatus is also interacting with the system, the probabilities of the diagonal density matrix are determined by the state vector of the system. We consider a Stern-Gerlach type model, where a spin-1/2 particle is in an inhomogeneous magnetic field, the whole set up being in contact with a large environment. Here we find that the density matrix of the combined system and apparatus becomes diagonal and the momentum of the particle becomes correlated with a spin operator, selected by the choice of the system-apparatus interaction. This allows for a measurement of spin via a momentum measurement on the particle with associated probabilities in accordance with quantum principles.     

Particle number fractionalization of an atomic Fermi-Dirac gas in an optical lattice

We show that a dilute two-species gas of Fermi-Dirac alkali-metal atoms in a periodic optical lattice may exhibit fractionalization of the particle number when the two components are coupled via a coherent electromagnetic field with a topologically nontrivial phase profile. This results in fractional eigenvalues of the spin operator with vanishing fluctuations. The fractional part can be accurately controlled by modifying the effective detuning of the electromagnetic field.