We present a pilot-wave model for quantum field theory in which the Dirac sea is taken seriously. The model ascribes particle trajectories to all the fermions, including the fermions filling the Dirac sea. The model is deterministic and applies to the regime in which fermion number is superselected. This work is a further elaboration of work by Colin, in which a Dirac sea pilot-wave model is presented for quantum electrodynamics. We extend his work to non-electromagnetic interactions, we discuss a cut-off regularization of the pilot-wave model and study how it reproduces the standard quantum predictions. The Dirac sea pilot-wave model can be seen as a possible continuum generalization of a lattice model by Bell. It can also be seen as a development and generalization of the ideas by Bohm, Hiley and Kaloyerou, who also suggested the use of the Dirac sea for the development of a pilot-wave model for quantum electrodynamics.
Numerical simulations indicate that the Born rule does not need to be postulated in the de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave theory, but arises dynamically (relaxation to quantum equilibrium). These simulations were done for a particle in a two-dimensional box whose wave-function obeys the non-relativistic Schroedinger equation and is therefore scalar. The chaotic nature of the de Broglie-Bohm trajectories, thanks to the nodes of the wave-function which act as vortices, is crucial for a fast relaxation to quantum equilibrium. For spinors, we typically do not expect any node. However, in the case of the …
We consider a pilot-wave approach for the Dirac theory that was recently proposed by Colin and Wiseman. In this approach, the particles perform a zig-zag motion, due to stochastic jumps of their velocity. We respectively discuss the one-particle theory, the many-particle theory and possible extensions to quantum field theory. We also discuss the non-relativistic limit of the one-particle theory. For a single particle, the motion is always luminal, a feature that persists in the non-relativistic limit. For more than one particle the motion is in general subluminal.
In the pilot-wave theory of quantum mechanics particles have definite positions and velocities and the system evolves deterministically. The velocity of a particle is determined by the wave function of the system (the guidance equation) and the wave function evolves according to Schrodinger's equation. In this paper I first construct a Hamiltonian that gives Schrodinger's equation and the guidance equation for the particle. I then find the Hamiltonian for a relativistic particle in Dirac's theory and for a quantum scalar field.
In the standard model of particle physics, all fermions are fundamentally massless and only acquire their effective bare mass when the Higgs field condenses. Therefore, in a fundamental de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave quantum field theory (valid before and after the Higgs condensation), position beables should be attributed to massless fermions. In our endeavour to build a pilot-wave theory of massless fermions, which would be relevant for the study of quantum non-equilibrium in the early universe, we are naturally led to Weyl spinors and to particle trajectories which give meaning to the `zig-zag'…
It is argued that the natural kinematics of the pilot-wave theory is Aristotelian. Despite appearances, Galilean invariance is not a fundamental symmetry of the low-energy theory. Instead, it is a fictitious symmetry that has been artificially imposed. It is concluded that the search for a Lorentz-invariant extension is physically misguided.
Local Scale Invariance in Quantum Theory: A Non-Hermitian Pilot-Wave Formulation
Georgia Gwinnett College（佐治亚格温内特学院）；Institute for Quantum Studies, Chapman University（查普曼大学量子研究所）；Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University（查普曼大学施密德科学与技术学院）
One route towards understanding both fractional charges and chiral anomalies delves into Dirac's negative energy sea. Usually we think of Dirac's negative energy sea as an unphysical construct, invented to render quantum field theory physically acceptable by hiding the negative energy solutions. I suggest that in fact physical consequences can be drawn from Dirac's construction.
Two real vector fields are revealed as spin connections of the spinor field, which is introduced as a representation of the local Lorentz group by Dirac spinors. One of these fields is identified as the Maxwell field. Another one is the axial field, which is sufficient to describe parity nonconservation effects in atoms and it is sensitive to the second internal degree of freedom of the Dirac spinor field. The polarization associated with this degree of freedom is a distinctive characteristic of the Dirac spinor field in spatially closed localized states. The short-distance behavior of the axi…
Diffraction of walking drops by a standing Faraday wave
Department of Mathematics, MIT（麻省理工学院数学系）；Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University（波士顿大学机械工程系）；Department of Mathematics, UNC, Chapel Hill（北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校数学系）
This work is motivated by the long-standing question about the internal stability of the electron. While one cannot investigate internal properties of a point-like particle, it is fair to analyze the response of the Dirac sea to an electron. For this purpose the concept of an exchange hole is generalized from the Fermi sea of condensed matter physics to the Dirac sea of quantum electrodynamics. In order to conserve charge and angular momentum, an exchange electron is added to the exchange hole, forming a neutral exchange exciton. Consequently, the pair correlation defining the exchange hole is…
The present work is a brief review of the progressive search of improper delta-functions which are of interest in Quantum Mechanics and in the problem of motion in General Relativity Theory.
In Dirac's hole theory the vacuum state is assumed to be the state where all negative energy states are occupied and all positive energy states are unoccupied. This is often referred to as the Dirac sea. It is generally assumed that the Dirac sea is the minimum possible energy state. However it will be shown in this paper that this is not the case.
We show that the Bohmian approach in terms of persisting particles that move on continuous trajectories following a deterministic law can be literally applied to QFT. By means of the Dirac sea model -- exemplified in the electron sector of the standard model neglecting radiation -- we explain how starting from persisting particles, one is led to standard QFT employing creation and annihilation operators when tracking the dynamics with respect to a reference state, the so-called vacuum. Since on the level of wave functions, both formalisms are mathematically equivalent, this proposal provides f…
A weakness which has previously seemed unavoidable in particle interpretations of quantum mechanics (such as in the de Broglie-Bohm model) is addressed here and a resolution proposed. The weakness in question is the lack of action and reaction occurring between the model's field (or "pilot wave") and the particle. Although the field acts on the particle, the particle does not act back on the field. It is shown here that this rather artificial feature is, in fact, not necessary and can be fully eliminated while remaining consistent with the usual quantum predictions. Mathematically this amounts…
We study the Majorana equation from the point of view of the de Broglie-Bohm pilot-wave theory (according to which a quantum ensemble of fermions is not only described by a spinor but also by a distribution of position configurations). Although the Majorana equation involves a mass parameter, we show that the positions undergo luminal motion. In the case of free systems, we also show that the trajectory can be strongly helical (the diameter of the helix being the Compton wavelength). On a coarse-grained level (coarse-graining with respect to the Compton wavelength), these trajectories appear s…
By considering a spacetime with a spiral dislocation, we analyse the behaviour of the Dirac field subject to a hard-wall confining potential. In search of relativistic bound states solutions, we discuss the influence of the topology of the spiral dislocation spacetime on the energy levels. Further, we analyse the effects of rotation on the Dirac field in the spiral dislocation spacetime. We show that both rotation and the topology of the spacetime impose a restriction on the values of the radial coordinate. Thus, we analyse the effects of rotation and the topology of the spiral dislocation spa…
