We give an explicit operator realization of Dirac quantization of free particle motion on a surface of codimension 1. It is shown that the Dirac recipe is ambiguous and a natural way of fixing this problem is proposed. We also introduce a modification of Dirac procedure which yields zero quantum potential. Some problems of abelian conversion quantization are pointed out.
The problem of simulating through quantum walks Dirac fermions in arbitrary curved space-times and coordinates is revisited, taking (1 + 1)D space-times as an example. A new shift or translation operator on the grid is introduced, to take into account arbitrary geometries. The new, generalised quantum walks built with this operator can simulate Dirac fermions in arbitrary curved space-times and coordinates, and their wave functions have exactly the same number of components as standard Dirac spinors, and not twice that number, as previously believed. In particular, in $(1 + 1)$D space-times, o…
A suitable deformation of the Hopf algebra of the creation and annihilation operators for a complex scalar field, initially quantized in Minkowski space--time, induces the canonical quantization of the same field in a generic gravitational background. The deformation parameter q turns out to be related to the gravitational field. The entanglement of the quantum vacuum appears to be robust against interaction with the environment.
To comply with the equivalence principle, fields in curved spacetime can be quantized only in the neighborhood of each point, where one can construct a freely falling M i n k o w s k i frame with z e r o curvature. In each such frame, the geometric forces of gravity can be replaced by a selfinteracting spin-2 field, as proposed by Feynman in 1962. At a n y fixed distance $R$ from a black hole, the vacuum in each freely falling volume element acts like a thermal bath of all particles with Unruh temperature T_U=\hbar GM/2πc R^2. At the horizon R=2GM/c^2, the falling vacua show the Hawking temper…
We show how to transform a Dirac equation in curved spacetime into a Dirac equation in flat spacetime. In particular, we show that any solution of the free massless Dirac equation in a 1+1 dimensional flat spacetime can be transformed via a local phase transformation into a solution of the corresponding Dirac equation in a curved background, where the spacetime metric is encoded into the phase. In this way, the existing quantum simulators of the Dirac equation can naturally incorporate curved spacetimes. As a first example we use our technique to obtain solutions of the Dirac equation in a par…
A discrete-time Quantum Walk (QW) is essentially an operator driving the evolution of a single particle on the lattice, through local unitaries. Some QWs admit a continuum limit, leading to familiar PDEs (e.g. the Dirac equation). Recently it was discovered that prior grouping and encoding allows for more general continuum limit equations (e.g. the Dirac equation in $(1+1)$ curved spacetime). In this paper, we extend these results to arbitrary space dimension and internal degree of freedom. We recover an entire class of PDEs encompassing the massive Dirac equation in $(3+1)$ curved spacetime. …
For a free particle that non-relativistically moves on a curved surface, there are curvature-induced quantum potentials that significantly influence the surface quantum states, but the experimental results in topological insulators, whenever curved or not, indicate no evidence of such a potential, implying that there does not exist such a quantum potential for the relativistic particles, constrained on the surface or not. Within the framework of Dirac quantization scheme, we demonstrate a general result that for a Dirac fermion on a two-dimensional curved surface of revolution, no curvature-in…
Compatibility of symmetric quantization of the Dirac equation in a curved space with general covariance gives a special representation of the spin connections in which their dot product with the Dirac gamma matrices becomes equal to the "covariant divergence" of the latter. Requiring that the square of the equation gives the conventional Klein-Gordon equation in a curved space results in an operator algebra for the Dirac gamma matrices that involves the "covariant derivative" connections and the Riemann-Christoffel connections. In 1+1 space-time with static metric, we obtain exact solutions of…
We present an exact quantization condition for the time independent solutions (energy eigenstates) of the one-dimensional Dirac equation with a scalar potential well that gives only two `effective' turning points (defined by the roots of $V(x)+mc^2=\pm E$) for a given energy $E$ and satisfies $\min V(x)+mc^2\geq 0$. This result generalizes the previously known non-relativistic quantization formula and preserves many physically desirable symmetries, besides, attaining the correct non-relativistic limit. Numerical calculations demonstrate the utility of the formula for computing accurate energy …
We introduce an exact mapping between the Dirac equation in (1+1)-dimensional curved spacetime (DCS) and a multiphoton quantum Rabi model (QRM). A background of a (1+1)-dimensional black hole requires a QRM with one- and two-photon terms that can be implemented in a trapped ion for the quantum simulation of Dirac particles in curved spacetime. We illustrate our proposal with a numerical analysis of the free fall of a Dirac particle into a (1+1)-dimensional black hole, and find that the Zitterbewegung effect, measurable via the oscillatory trajectory of the Dirac particle, persists in the prese…
Starting with the first-order singular Lagrangian describing the dynamical system with 2nd-class constraints, the noncommutative quantum mechanics on a curved space is investigated by the constraint star-product quantization formalism of the projection operator method. Imposing the additional constraints to eliminate the reduntant degrees of freedom, it is shown that the resultant noncommutative quantum system on the curved space is represented with two kinds of the constrained quantum systems, which are equivalent with each other. Then, it is shown that the resultant Hamiltonians contain the …
Dirac in 1931 gave a beautiful argument for the quantization of electric charge, which required only the existence in the universe of one magnetic monopole, because gauge invariance of the interaction between the pole and any charge could hold only if the product of the charge and the pole strength were quantized in half-integer multiples of the reduced Planck constant. However, if the photon had a nonzero mass, implying exponential decrease of the flux out of an electric charge, then Dirac's argument might seem to fail. We demonstrate that the result still should hold. The key point is that m…
We show that an unambiguous and correct quantization of the second-class constrained system of a free particle on a sphere in $D$ dimensions is possible only by converting the constraints to abelian gauge constraints, which are of first class in Dirac's classification scheme. The energy spectrum is equal to that of a pure Laplace-Beltrami operator with no additional constant arising from the curvature of the sphere. A quantization of Dirac's modified Poisson brackets for second-class constraints is also possible and unique, but must be rejected since the resulting energy spectrum is physically…
We consider Dirac equation in $(2+1)$ dimensional curved spacetime in the presence of a scalar potential. It is then shown that the zero energy states are degenerate and they can be obtained when the momentum $k_y$ in the $y$ direction satisfies certain constraints involving the mass parameter and the scalar potential coupling.
The relativistic acceleration of an electron in a uniform gravitational field is calculated numerically using the generalization of the Dirac equation to curved spacetime. Equivalent results are also obtained analytically using an iterative approach that is not based on the WKB approximation, which has been used extensively in the past. The acceleration is found to be proportional to a factor of $(1-3v^2/c^2)$ using Schwarzschild coordinates, which is consistent with the classical geodesic of a particle. These techniques may be useful in resolving the differences between commonly-used approxim…
In this work we present a derivation of Dirac's equation in a curved space-time starting from a Weyl-invariant action principle in 4+K dimensions. The Weyl invariance of Dirac's equation (and of Quantum Mechanics in general) is made possible by observing that the difference between the Weyl and the Riemann scalar curvatures in a metric space is coincident with Bohm's Quantum potential. This circumstance allows a completely geometrical formulation of Quantum Mechanics, the Conformal Quantum Geometrodynamics (CQG), which was proved to be useful, for example, to clarify some aspects of the quantu…
Bosonization in curved spacetime maps massive Thirring model (self-interacting Dirac fermions) to a generalized sine-Gordon model, both living in $1+1$-dimensional curved spacetime. Applying this duality we have shown that the Thirring model fermion, in non-relativistic limit, gets identified with the soliton of non-linear Scrodinger model with Kerr form of non-linearity. We discuss one particular optical soliton in the latter model and relate it with the Thirring model fermion.
A mathematical formulation for particle states and electronic properties of a curved graphene sheet is provided, exploiting a massless Dirac spectrum description for charge carriers living in a curved bidimensional background. In particular, we study how the new description affects the characteristics of the sample, writing an appropriate conductivity Kubo formula for the modified background. Finally, we provide a theoretical analysis for the particular case of a cylindrical graphene sample.
We present the fundamental solutions for the spin-1/2 fields propagating in the spacetimes with power type expansion/contraction and the fundamental solution of the Cauchy problem for the Dirac equation. The derivation of these fundamental solutions is based on formulas for the solutions to the generalized Euler-Poisson-Darboux equation, which are obtained by the integral transform approach.
Ambiguities arising in different approaches (canonical, quasiclassical, path integration) to quantization are discussed by an example of the mechanics of a point-like particle in the Riemannian space (the geodesic dynamics). A way to select a single rule of quantization is proposed by requirement of a consistency of the quantum mechanics' following from the canonical and quasiclassical approaches. This rule selects also a definition of the path integration. A geometric interpretation of the noncovariance of the canonical Hamilton operator of a particle with respect to the diffeomorphisms of th…
We discuss a new realization of $\mathcal{N}$-extended quantum-mechanical supersymmetry (QM SUSY) with central charges hidden in the four-dimensional (4D) mass spectrum of higher dimensional Dirac action with curved extra dimensions. We show that this $\mathcal{N}$-extended QM SUSY results from symmetries in extra dimensions, and the supermultiplets in this supersymmetry algebra correspond to the Bogomol'nyi--Prasad--Sommerfield states. Furthermore, we examine the model of the $S^2$ extra dimension with a magnetic monopole background and confirm that the $\mathcal{N}$-extended QM SUSY explains…
Pseudospectral numerical schemes for solving the Dirac equation in general static curved space are derived using a pseudodifferential representation of the Dirac equation along with a simple Fourier-basis technique. Owing to the presence of non-constant coefficients in the curved space Dirac equation, convolution products usually appear when the Fourier transform is performed. The strategy based on pseudodifferential operators allows for efficient computations of these convolution products by using an ordinary fast Fourier transform algorithm. The resulting numerical methods are efficient and …
Dirac particle represents a fundamental constituent of our nature. Simulation of Dirac particle dynamics by a controllable quantum system using quantum walks will allow us to investigate the non-classical nature of dynamics in its discrete form. In this work, starting from a modified version of one-spatial dimensional general inhomogeneous split-step discrete quantum walk we derive an effective Hamiltonian which mimics a single massive Dirac particle dynamics in curved $(1+1)$ space-time dimension coupled to $U(1)$ gauge potential---which is a forward step towards the simulation of the unifica…
A Lagrangian theory giving rise to a version of the Dirac-Kahler equations on curved backgrounds is considered. The principal pieces are the general fields which have values in the algebra of the Dirac matrices and satisfy a Dirac-type equation. Their components are scalar, pseudo-scalar, vector, axial-vector fields and fields strength which satisfy an irreducible systems of first-order Dirac-Kahler equations having remarkable gauge and duality properties similar to those of the flat case. The vector and axial-vector fields are the physical potentials giving rise to the field strength while th…
We argue that the Fermi-Hubbard Hamiltonian describing the physics of ultracold atoms on optical lattices in the presence of artificial non-Abelian gauge fields, is exactly equivalent to the gauge theory Hamiltonian describing Dirac fermions in the lattice. We show that it is possible to couple the Dirac fermions to an "artificial" gravitational field, i.e. to consider the Dirac physics in a curved spacetime. We identify the special class of spacetime metrics that admit a simple realization in terms of a Fermi-Hubbard model subjected to an artificial SU(2) field, corresponding to position depe…
When quantum fields are coupled to gravitational fields, spontaneous particle creation may occur similarly to when they are coupled to external electromagnetic fields. Gravitational fields can be incorporated as background spacetime if the back-action of matter on it can be neglected, yielding modified Dirac or Klein-Gordon equations for elementary fermions and bosons respectively. The semi-classical description predicts particle creation in many scenarios including expanding universe, near the event horizon of a black hole (the Hawking effect), and an accelerating observer in flat spacetime (…
The purpose of this paper is to show that, under certain restrictions, we can take a Dirac-Aharonov-Bohm potential as a pure gauge field. We argue that a modified quantization condition comes out for the electric charge that may open up the way for the understanding of fractional charges. One does not need any longer to rely on the existence of a magnetic monopole to justify electric charge quantization.
In this article we show that a Dirac Hamiltonian in a curved background spacetime can be interpreted, when discretized, as a tight binding Fermi-Hubbard model with non unitary tunnelings. We find the form of the nonunitary tunneling matrices in terms of the metric tensor. The main motivation behind this exercise is the feasibility of such Hamiltonians by means of laser assisted tunnelings in cold atomic experiments. The mapping thus provide a physical interpretation of such Hamiltonians. We demonstrate the use of the mapping on the example of time dependent metric in 2+1 dimensions. Studying t…
In the framework of Dirac quantization with second class constraints, a free particle moving on the surface of a $(d-1)-$dimensional sphere has an ambiguity in the energy spectrum due to the arbitrary shift of canonical momenta. We explicitly show that this spectrum obtained by the Dirac method can be consistent with the result of the Batalin-Fradkin-Tyutin formalism, which is an improved Dirac method, at the level of the first-class constraint by fixing the ambiguity, and discuss its physical consequences.
A particular family of time- and space-dependent discrete-time quantum walks (QWs) is considered in one dimensional physical space. The continuous limit of these walks is defined through a new procedure and computed in full detail. In this limit, the walks coincide with the propagation of a massless Dirac fermion in an arbitrary gravitational field. A QW mimicking the radial propagation of a fermion outside and inside the event horizon of a Schwarzschild black hole is explicitly constructed and simulated numerically. Finally, the limiting procedure and the main result itself are carefully disc…
Combination of a construction of unambiguous quantum conditions out of the conventional one and a simultaneous quantization of the positions, momenta, angular momenta and Hamiltonian leads to the geometric potential given by the so-called thin-lay quantization.
One may ask whether the relations between energy and frequency and between momentum and wave vector, introduced for matter waves by de Broglie, are rigorously valid in the presence of gravity. In this paper, we show this to be true for Dirac equations in a background of gravitational and electromagnetic fields. We first transform any Dirac equation into an equivalent canonical form, sometimes used in particular cases to solve Dirac equations in a curved spacetime. This canonical form is needed to apply the Whitham Lagrangian method. The latter method, unlike the WKB method, places no restricti…
The idea of wave mechanics leads naturally to assume the well-known relation $E=\hbar ω$ in the specific form $H=\hbar W$, where $H$ is the classical Hamiltonian of a particle and $W$ is the dispersion relation of the sought-for wave equation. We derive the expression of $H$ in a curved spacetime with an electromagnetic field. Then we derive the Dirac equation from factorizing the polynomial dispersion equation corresponding with $H$. Conversely, summarizing a recent work, we implement the geometrical optics approximation into a canonical form of the Dirac Lagrangian. Euler-Lagrange equations …
A common view is that generalization of a wave equation on Riemannian space-time is substantially determined by what a particle is - boson or fermion. As a rule, they say that tensor equations for bosons are extended in a simpler way then spinor equations for fermions. In that context, a very interesting problem is of extension a wave equation for Dirac--Kähler field (Ivanenko--Landau field was historically first term, also the term a vector field of general type was used). The article relates a generally covariant tensor formalism to a spinor one when these both are applied to description of …
The Dirac equation for massive free electrically neutral spin 1/2 particles in a gravitation field is considered. The secondary quantization procedure is applied to it and the Hilbert space of multiparticle quantum states is constructed.
By requiring unambiguous symmetric quantization leading to the Dirac equation in a curved space, we obtain a special representation of the spin connections in terms of the Dirac gamma matrices and their space-time derivatives. We also require that squaring the equation give the Klein-Gordon equation in a curved space in its canonical from (without spinor components coupling and with no first order derivatives). These requirements result in matrix operator algebra for the Dirac gamma matrices that involves a universal curvature constant. We obtain exact solutions of the Dirac and Klein-Gordon e…
An elementary presentation of the methods for the canonical quantization of constraint systems with Fermi variables is given. The emphasis is on the subtleties of the construction of an appropriate classical bracket that could be consistently replaced by commutators or anti--commutators of operators, as required by canonical quantization procedure for bosonic and fermionic degrees of freedom respectively. I present a consequent canonical quantization of the Dirac field, in which the role of Poincaré invariance is made marginal. This simple example provides an introduction to the Poincaré--free…
Dirac's quantization of the Maxwell theory on non-commutative spaces has been considered. First class constraints were found which are the same as in classical electrodynamics. The gauge covariant quantization of the non-linear equations of electromagnetic fields on non-commutative spaces were studied. We have found the extended Hamiltonian which leads to equations of motion in the most general gauge covariant form. As a special case, the gauge fixing approach on the basis of Dirac's brackets has been investigated. The problem of the construction of the wave function and physical observables h…
In this work, Schrödinger and Dirac equations will be examined in geometries that confine the particles to hypersurfaces. For this purpose, two methods will be considered. The first method is the thin layer method which relies on explicit use of geometrical relations and the squeezing of a certain coordinate of space (or spacetime). The second is Dirac's quantization procedure involving the modification of canonical quantization making use of the geometrical constraints. For the Dirac equation, only the first method will be considered. Lastly, the results of the two methods will be compared an…
The aim of present work is to extend the application of Weitzeböck Induced Matter Theory (WIMT) to a dyonic Reissner-Nordström Black Hole (RNBH), by proposing a condition compatible with a quantization relation between gravitational mass and both magnetic and electric charges from a geometric product defined as an invariant in 5D.
We explore the quantization of a $(1+1)$-dimensional inhomogeneous scalar field theory in which Poincaré symmetry is explicitly broken. We show the `classical equivalence' between a scalar field theory on curved spacetime background and its corresponding inhomogeneous scalar field theory. This implies that a hidden connection may exist among some inhomogeneous field theories, which corresponds to general covariance in field theory on curved spacetime. Based on the classical equivalence, we propose how to quantize a specific field theory with broken Poincaré symmetry inspired by standard field …
This is a collection of lectures given at the University of Heidelberg, especially but not exclusively for people who want to learn something about the canonical approach to quantum gravity, which is however not included in these lectures. They are about Dirac's general method to construct a quantum theory out of a classical theory, which has to be defined in terms of a Lagrangian. The classical Hamiltonian formalism is reviewed, with emphasis on the relation between constraints and gauge symmetries, and quantization is carried out without any kind of gauge fixing. The method is applied to thr…
The main goal of this work is to study the Dirac oscillator as a quantum field using the canonical formalism of quantum field theory and to develop the canonical quantization procedure for this system in $(1+1)$ and $(3+1)$ dimensions. This is possible because the Dirac oscillator is characterized by the absence of the Klein paradox and by the completeness of its eigenfunctions. We show that the Dirac oscillator field can be seen as constituted by infinite degrees of freedom which are identified as decoupled quantum linear harmonic oscillators. We observe that while for the free Dirac field th…
In this article, we carry out the Hamiltonization in the axial gauge, of the t'Hooft-Polyakov monopole field outside the localized region, which represents the monopole's core. One feature of the treatment here, is using the Higgs vacuum condition as both strong and weak equation instead of using it in the degree of freedom reduction.
A fundamental problem regarding the Dirac quantization of a free particle on an $N-1$ curved hypersurface embedded in $N$($\geq 2$) flat space is the impossibility to give the same form of the curvature-induced quantum potential, the geometric potential as commonly called, as that given by the Schrödinger equation method where the particle moves in a region confined by a thin-layer sandwiching the surface. We resolve this problem by means of previously proposed scheme that hypothesizes a simultaneous quantization of positions, momenta, and Hamiltonian, among which the operator-ordering-free se…
We extend to a non-Hermitian fermionic quantum field theory with PT symmetry our previous discussion of second quantization, discrete symmetry transformations, and inner products in a scalar field theory [arXiv:2006.06656]. For illustration, we consider a prototype model containing a single Dirac fermion with a parity-odd, anti-Hermitian mass term. In the phase of unbroken PT symmetry, this Dirac fermion model is equivalent to a Hermitian theory under a similarity transformation, with the non-Hermitian nature of the model residing only in the spinor structure, whereas the algebra of the creati…