Tensorial representation of the Dirac equation

We discuss tensor representations of the Dirac equation using a geometric approach. We find that the mass zero Dirac equations can be represented by Maxwell equations having a source which obeys the empty space wave equation. We also obtain a relation for the source in terms ofE andH. In the case of mass not equal to zero a difficulty is encountered in removing the constant spinors¯ _Aand¯ _A.We find that the arbitrary constant spinors can be eliminated in a spinor theory based on the Klein-Gordon equation.     

On the determination of elliptic differential and finite difference operators in vector bundles overS 1

For an elliptic differential operatorA overS ¹, , withA _k (x) in END(^r) and as a principal angle, the -regularized determinant Det A is computed in terms of the monodromy mapP _A , associated toA and some invariant expressed in terms ofA _n andA _n–1 . A similar formula holds for finite difference operators. A number of applications and implications are given. In particular we present a formula for the signature ofA whenA is self adjoint and show that the determinant ofA is the limit of a sequence of computable expressions involving determinants of difference approximation ofA.Partially supported by an NSF grant     

Free states of the canonical anticommutation relations

Each gauge invariant generalized free state _A of the anticommutation relation algebra over a complex Hilbert spaceK is characterized by an operatorA onK. It is shown that the cyclic representations induced by two gauge invariant generalized free states _A and _B are quasi-equivalent if and only if the operatorsA ^1/2–B ^1/2 and (I–A)^1/2–(I–B)^1/2 are of Hilbert-Schmidt class. The combination of this result with results from the theory of isomorphisms of von Neumann algebras yield necessary and sufficient conditions for the unitary equivalence of the cyclic representations induced by gauge invariant generalized free states.Work supported in part by US Atomic Energy Commission, under Contract AT (30-1)-2171 and by the National Science Foundation.     

Selection rules for topology change

It is shown that there are restrictions on the possible changes of topology of space sections of the universe if this topology change takes place in a compact region which has a Lorentzian metric and spinor structure. In particular, it is impossible to create a single wormhole or attach a single handle to a spacetime but it is kinematically possible to create such wormholes in pairs. Another way of saying this is that there is a ₂ invariant for a closed oriented 3-manifold which determines whether can be the spacelike boundary of a compact manifoldM which admits a Lorentzian metric and a spinor structure. We evaluate this invariant in terms of the homology groups of and find that it is the mod2 Kervaire semi-characteristic.     

Gravity in hyperspin manifolds

We seek the dynamics of a Bergmann manifold: a manifold of dimensionn=N ² supporting a bundle of spinor spaces of dimensionN, and a map from the tangent spaces to the Hermitian spinor forms. Even though the spin-vector is the fundamental variable of the theory, every invariant analytic function depending on and its firstm derivatives alone can be expressed in terms of the chronometric tensorg and its firstm derivatives. Bergmann manifolds of dimensionn > 4 do not have invariant second-order equations for. We find a family of invariant actions which lead tonth-order quasilinear equations of motion on Bergmann manifolds and reduce to the Einstein-Hilbert action forn=2. The resulting gauge particles have spin, 1/2,1, 3/2, and 2.     

Poincaré gauge invariant spinor theory and the gravitational field. II

The nonlinear equation for an abstract noncanonical 2-component Weyl spinor field — as used with the inclusion of internal symmetries in Heisenberg's nonlinear spinor theory of elementary particles — which is invariant under scale, phase, and Poincaré transformations is modified in such a way as to become invariant under spacetime dependent phase gauge and Poincaré gauge transformations. In such an equation a phase gauge field B _m , six Lorentz gauge fields A[]m and four translation gauge fields g_m have to be introduced. It is demonstrated that all these fields can be identified as certain combinations of the Weyl spinor field, and hence should be considered in a rough sense as bound states of this spinor field. In particular the electromagnetic field B_m and the gravitational field g m appear as S-states and P-states of a spinor-antispinor system. The noncanonical property and the operator character of the spinor field is essential for this result. The relation between the translation gauge field and the spinor field involves a fundamental length. In a classical geometrical interpretation this relation leads to Einstein's equation of gravitation without cosmological term in a Riemannian space without torsion if the fundamental length is identified with Planck's length. It is shown that this equation is covariant under the larger symmetry group of phase gauge and Poincaré gauge transformations. The modified nonlinear equation constructed solely from a single 2-component Weyl field hence seems to incorporate in an extremely compact way electromagnetic and gravitational interaction in addition to non-mass-zero interactions. In this equation no arbitrary dimensionless constants enter. The considerations can be generalized to Dirac spinor fields and to spinor fields involving additional interior degress of freedom.An abridged version of this paper was presented at the International Conference on Gravitation and Relativity, Copenhagen, July 1971.     

The affine geometry of the Lanczos H-tensor formalism

We identify the fiber-bundle-with-connection structure that underlies the Lanczos H-tensor formulation of Riemannian geometrical structure. We consider linear connections to be type (1,2) affine tensor fields, and we sketch the structure of the appropriate fiber bundle that is needed to describe the differential geometry of such affine tensors, namely the affine frame bundleA ₁ ² M with structure groupA ₁ ² (4) =GL(4) T ₁ ^{2 4} over spacetimeM. Generalized affine connections on this bundle are in 1-1 correspondence with pairs(, K) onM, where thegl(4)-component denotes a linear connection and the T ₁ ^{2 4}-componentK is a type (1,3) tensor field onM. We show that the Lanczos H-tensor arises from a gauge fixing condition on this geometrical structure. The resulting translation gauge, theLanczos gauge, is invariant under the transformations found earlier by Lanczos. The other Lanczos variablesQ _mandq are constructed in terms of the translational component of the generalized affine connection in the Lanczos gauge. To complete the geometric reformulation we reconstruct the Lanczos Lagrangian completely in terms of affine invariant quantities. The essential field equations derived from ourA ₁ ² (4)-invariant Lagrangian are the Bianchi and Bach-Lanczos identities for four-dimensional Riemannian geometry.     

The spinning minimal surfaces without the grassmann variables

Generalizing the model of the spinning Dirac electron with zitterbewegung, we give a theory of spinning strings, membranes and p-branes in curved background spaces of arbitrary dimensions. The dynamical variables are surface coordinates X(^A) and a single c-number spinor z(^A). We use a phase space action which reduces in the limit to that of spinless membranes. A Hamiltonian formulation is also given.     

On the mass spectrum of the 2+1 gauge-Higgs lattice quantum field theory

We investigate the mass spectrum of a 2+1 lattice gauge-Higgs quantum field theory with Wilson action A _P+A _H, whereA _P(A _H) is the gauge (gauge-Higgs) interaction. We determine the complete spectrum exactly for all , >0 by an explicit diagonalization of the gauge invariant transfer matrix in the approximation that the interaction terms in the spatial directions are omitted; all gauge invariant eigenfunctions are generated directly. For fixed momentum the energy spectrum is pure point and disjoint simple planar loops and strings are energy eigenfunctions. However, depending on the gauge group and Higgs representations, there are bound state energy eigenfunctions not of this form. The approximate model has a rich particle spectrum with level crossings and we expect that it provides an intuitive picture of the number and location of bound states and resonances in the full model for small , >0. We determine the mass spectrum, obtaining convergent expansions for the first two groups of masses above the vacuum, for small , and confirm our expectations.Research partially supported by CNPq, Brasil     

On conformally covariant spinor field equations

A spinor field equation, covariant with respect to the general conformal group (including reflections), should consist in general of not less than eight linear equations and then, in Minkowski space, could be represented by not less than two massless Dirac equations. Their reduction through projectors to only one equation, while not spoiling conformal covariance implies unphysical consequences. It is shown instead that two Dirac equations may be brought unambiguously through a stereographic projection to a manifestly conformal covariant form inE _4,2 space. The physical implications are discussed and it is shown that if the fundamental elementary interactions are expressed in terms of conformal semispinors (which can never appear as free particles), then the corresponding physical Dirac spinors appear in the elementary interactions in terms of their chiral projections. This could indicate both the conformally invariant origin of weak interactions and their fundamental character. The possibility of constructing unified models from conformally invariant Lagrangians is envisaged.Invited talk at the Symposium on Mathematical Methods in the Theory of Elementary Particles, Liblice castle, Czechoslovakia, June 18–23, 1978.A preliminary version was issued as Internal Report IC/78/43, ICTP Trieste May 1978, see also Lett. Nuovo Cim.21 (1978), 473.I am indebted to Prof. I. T.Todorov for interesting discussions.     

On “Conformal spinor geometry”: An attempt to “Understand” internal symmetry

The natural homomorphism of pure spinors corresponding to a given Clifford algebraC _2n to polarized isotropicn-planes of complex Euclidean spaceE _2n ^c is taken as a starting point for the construction of a geometry called spinor geometry where pure spinors are the only elements out of which all tensors have to be constructed (analytically as bilinear polynomials of the components of a pure spinor).C ₄ andC ₆ spinor geometry are analyzed, but it seems that C₈ spinor geometry is necessary to construct Minkowski spaceM ^3,1.C ₆ spinor field equations give rise in Minkowski space to a pair of Dirac equations (for conformal semispinors) presenting ansu(2) internal symmetry algebra. Mass is generated by breaking spontaneously the originalO(4,2) symmetry of the spinor equation.Invited talk presented at the International Symposium Selected Topics in Quantum Field Theory and Mathematical Physics, Bechyn, Czechoslovakia, June 14–19, 1981.     

Limitations on the existence of massless composite states

Massless particles represented by the fields with mixed spinor indices of SL(2,C) are generally shown to be forbidden in covariant field theory under the assumptions of positivity and covariiance alone. This remains true also in gauge theory (in which a negative metric appears) as far as the particles are gauge invariant. This in particular implies that any dynamical “gauge-type particle” (such as vector A_μ, Rarita-Schwinger ψ_μ etc.) cannot appear unless the system has a corresponding local invariance from the outset.     

The axiomatic foundations of the theory of special relativity

In this paper it is shown that (1) linear transformations more general than the Lorentz transformation—containing the Palacios and the Lorentz transformation as special cases—(2) and the principle of the constancy of the velocity of light (taken originally by Einstein together with the supposition of the linearity of transformation as fundamental hypotheses of the theory of special relativity)—can be deduced from Maxwell's equations for the electromagnetic fieldin vacuo (A ₁), the principle of relativity (A ₂) and the two following axioms (which do not contain explicitly the hypothesis of the isotropy of space!): (A ₃) to every event in the Galilean reference systemS there corresponds one and only one event in the systemS so that these two systems are connected by reversible single-valued functions, continuously differentiable as their inverse transformations, (A ₄) the constant relative velocitiesv _ss andv _ss betweenS andS are each other equal in magnitude and opposite in signv _ss =–v _ss To obtain uniquely the Lorentz transformation the following axiom has to be added: (A ₅) the distanceD of any two points at rest inS, situated in a plane orthogonal to the relative velocity betweenS andS is measuredS as independent of the sense of the velocity, i.e. if one changesv _ss into –v _ss the distanceD does not vary for an observer inS. Results of our theory are the ideas that (a) the fact that the Lorentz transformation is not the unique transformation leaving Maxwell's equations for the electromagnetic field in all Galilean systems of reference invariant but that there exists a more general transformation (containing these two transformations as special cases) leaving Maxwell's equations invariant; (b) that the Michelson-Morley as well as the Fizeau experiment does not represent an experimental proof in favour of the theory of special relativity. At the end of the paper the mutual relations between the principle of relativity (the axiomA ₁ together with the axiomA ₂), the axiomA ₅ and the possibility of the discernibility as well as the indiscernibility of right and left at the macrocosmic level is discussed.     

Spinorial analysis and physical properties of fermions

We study the formalism of covariant differentiation of a spinor field in a space of affine connection with an invariant metric. We find the most general formula for the coefficients of spinorial connection consistent with the fundamental relationship between the space and spin ( + = 2g), and which is a generalization of the formula for the Fock-Ivanenko coefficients. The obtained formula contains additional terms describing the interaction between the spinor field and the scalar field, the vector field A, and the pseudovector field (presumably, the pseudotrace of the spacetime torsion). The existence of these interaction terms also follows from the analysis of spinor fields from the gauge-theoretical point of view. We show that the interaction between the spinor and pseudovector fields found in this paper substantially modifies the electrodynamics of spinor fields. As a result, the combined system of equations describing the dynamics of the vector (electromagnetic) and pseudovector fields is, unlike the Maxwell equations, symmetric with respect to the right-hand sides (sources). The source for the field strength tensor of the field comples A and is the vector current of the spinor field ¯gy, while the source for the dual field strength tensor is the pseudovector current of the spinor field ¯5. It is suggested that the obtained interaction between the spinor and the scalar and pseudovector fields plays a role on a deeper level of matter structure —in quark and preon (subquark) systems.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 20–25, October, 1986.In conclusion, the author finds it a pleasure to thank the participants of the theoretical seminars led by D. Ivanenko, Yu. S. Vladimirov, and N. V. Mitskevich, for the discussion of the results of this paper and for valuable comments.     

Entropy of Bogoliubov automorphisms of the canonical anticommutation relations

We compute the entropyh _A ( _U ) in the sense of Connes, Narnhofer and Thirring of Bogoliubov automorphisms _U of the CAR-algebra with respect to invariant quasifree states _A with 0A1 having pure point spectrum.Supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation     

The nonlinear group representation method in the nonlinear spinor theory

Nonlinear spinor equations are derived in the paper by the nonlinear symmetry-group representation method. The basic field transforms according to the linear spinor representation of the orthochronous Lorentz group Lt. The internal symmetry group G^r is realized as a group of nonlinear transformations of the field . The invariant nonlinear spinor equations constituting the group G^r are found in terms of the covariant derivative. The group SU(2) is considered as an example.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 49–55, December, 1972.The author thanks D. D. Ivanenko and D. F. Kurdgelaidze for stimulating discussions and support.     

Real spin-Clifford bundle and the spinor structure of space-time

By analyzing the conditions for the existence on a space-time of a global algebraic spinor field, we prove the following result, known as Geroch's theorem: A necessary and sufficient condition for to admit a spinor structure is that the orthonormal frame bundleF ₀() have a global section. Our proof, which does not use in any stage the complexification of _1,3 (the space-time Clifford algebra), is simple, requiring only the explicit construction of the algebraic spinor and the spinorial metric within _1,3 and elementary facts about associated bundles and the bundle reduction process. This is to be compared with the original proof, which uses the full algebraic topology machinery. We also clarify the relation of the covariant spinor structure and Graf'se-spinor structure.     

Covariant,algebraic, and operator spinors

We deal with three different definitions for spinors: (I) thecovariant definition, where a particular kind ofcovariant spinor (c-spinor) is a set of complex variables defined by its transformations under a particular spin group; (II) theideal definition, where a particular kind of algebraic spinor (e-spinor) is defined as an element of a lateral ideal defined by the idempotente in an appropriated real Clifford algebra _p,q (whene is primitive we writea-spinor instead ofe-spinor); (III) the operator definition where a particular kind of operator spinor (o-spinor) is a Clifford number in an appropriate Clifford algebra _p,q determining a set of tensors by bilinear mappings. By introducing the concept of spinorial metric in the space of minimal ideals ofa-spinors, we prove that forp+q5 there exists an equivalence from the group-theoretic point of view among covariant and algebraic spinors. We also study in which senseo-spinors are equivalent toc-spinors. Our approach contain the following important physical cases: Pauli, Dirac, Majorana, dotted, and undotted two-component spinors (Weyl spinors). Moreover, the explicit representation of thesec-spinors asa-spinors permits us to obtain a new approach for the spinor structure of space-time and to represent Dirac and Maxwell equations in the Clifford and spin-Clifford bundles over space-time.     

Spin substructure of space-time

Space-time is provided with an underlying SL(2,C) spin space with complex noncommutative spinor coordinatesC ^A which satisfy . It is shown that the orbital angular momentum operator has a realization in this space as a derivative operator which can take on half-integral spin values, and the graded Lie algebra which describes the structure of the spin space is discussed. The spin-space translations mix fermi and bose fields and produce space-time translations which are not nil-potent. A hermitean metric with a line element which is invariant under such localx-dependent translations is introduced.     

Classification of stationary space-times

A systematic approach to the geometric structure of stationary gravitational fields is presented. The algebraic type of the trace-free Ricci tensor together with the propagation properties of the eigenrays in the background 3-space defined by the Killing trajectories serve as a basis for classifying the solutions of the stationary field equations. The eigenrays are the integral curves belonging to the solutions _A of the eigenvalue problemG _A ^B _B=_A,G _A ^B spinor representing the gravitational field in the background space. Many of the already known stationary metrics can be derived in the present scheme but new solutions of the field equations are also obtained. The possible types of the vacuum and electrovac fields are discussed in their connection with the corresponding exact solutions.Work honoured by a Fifth Gravity Research Foundation Award in 1973.Leverhulme Visiting Fellow.