We define a class of Lorentz invariant Bohmian quantum models for N entangled but noninteracting Dirac particles. Lorentz invariance is achieved for these models through the incorporation of an additional dynamical space-time structure provided by a foliation of space-time. These models can be regarded as the extension of Bohm's model for N Dirac particles, corresponding to the foliation into the equal-time hyperplanes for a distinguished Lorentz frame, to more general foliations. As with Bohm's model, there exists for these models an equivariant measure on the leaves of the foliation. This makes possible a simple statistical analysis of position correlations analogous to the equilibrium analysis for (the nonrelativistic) Bohmian mechanics.
The version of Bohmian mechanics in relativistic space-time that works best, the hypersurface Bohm--Dirac model, assumes a preferred foliation of space-time into spacelike hypersurfaces (called the time foliation) as given. We consider here a degenerate case in which, contrary to the usual definition of a foliation, several leaves of the time foliation have a region in common. That is, if we think of the time foliation as a 1-parameter family of hypersurfaces, with the hypersurfaces moving towards the future as we increase the parameter, a degenerate time foliation is one for which a part of t…
We examine Dirac's early algebraic approach which introduces the {\em standard} ket and show that it emerges more clearly from a unitary transformation of the operators based on the action. This establishes a new picture that is unitarily equivalent to both the Schrödinger and Heisenberg pictures. We will call this the Dirac-Bohm picture for the reasons we discuss in the paper. This picture forms the basis of the Feynman path theory and allows us to show that the so-called `Bohm trajectories' are averages of an ensemble of Feynman paths.
In this paper we intend to extend some ideas of a recently proposed Lorentz-invariant Bohmian model, obeying Klein-Gordon equations, but considering particles with a spin different than zero. First we build a Bohmian model for a single particle, closely related to the Bohm-Dirac model, but using Nikolic's ideas on a space-time probability density and the introduction of a synchronization parameter σfor the particle trajectory. We prove that, in the case of a spinor whose component phases become equal when \plank \to 0, it is possible to use the usual Bohmian Mechanics procedures to obtain the …
We show that, in the relativistic Bohm model of a Dirac-like particle, the electron in the ground state of the hydrogen atom is moving, unlike the prediction for the case of a Schrödinger-like particle, where the electron is stationary. This accounts for the empirically observed dilation of the decay time of the muon in the ground state of muonium.
We determine the energy spectrum and the corresponding eigenfunctions of a 2D Dirac oscillator in the presence of Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect . It is shown that the energy spectrum depends on the spin of particle and the AB magnetic flux parameter. Finally, when the irregular solution occurs it is shown that the energy takes particular values. The nonrelativistic limit is also considered.
A de Broglie-Bohm like model of Dirac equation, that leads to the correct Pauli equations for electrons and positrons in the low-speed limit, is presented. Under this theoretical framework, that affords an interpretation of the quantum potential, the main assumption of the de Broglie-Bohm theory--that the local momentum of particles is given by the gradient of the phase of the wave function--wont be accurate. Also, the number of particles wont be locally conserved. Furthermore, the representation of physical systems through wave functions wont be complete.
In this paper we show how Dirac, in 1947, anticipated the Bohm approach using an argument based on what is now called the Heisenberg picture. From a detailed examination of these ideas, we show that the role played by the Dirac standard ket is equivalent to the introduction and use of the idempotent in the orthogonal and symplectic Clifford algebras. This formalism is then used to show that the so-called `Bohm trajectories' are the average of an ensemble of individual stochastic Feynman paths. Since the Bohm approach can be simply reduced to classical mechanics, the algebraic formalism present…
The time-dependent Dirac equation is solved using the three-dimensional Finite Difference-Time Domain (FDTD) method. The dynamics of the electron wave packet in a vector potential is studied in the arrangements associated with the Aharonov-Bohm effect. The solution of the Dirac equation showed a change in the velocity of the electron wave packet even in a region where no forces acted on the electron. The solution of the Dirac equation agreed with the prediction of classical dynamics under the assumption that the dynamics was defined by the conservation of generalized or canonical momentum. It …
This paper concerns the hypersurface Bohm-Dirac model, i.e., the version of Bohmian mechanics in a relativistic space-time proposed by Dürr et al. [1], which assumes a preferred foliation of space-time into spacelike hypersurfaces (called the time foliation) as given. We show that the leaves of the time foliation do not have to be smooth manifolds but can be allowed to have kinks. More precisely, we show that, also for leaves with kinks, the trajectories are still well defined and the appropriate $|ψ|^2$ distribution is still equivariant, so that the theory is still empirically equivalent to s…
The main objective of this work is to present a theoretical proposal for an implementation of the $(2 + 1)$-dimensional Dirac equation in classical gravitational and electromagnetic backgrounds in a two-dimensional waveguide array. For this, a framework for achieving site-dependent effective coupling constants in two-dimensional waveguide arrays is developed. Implementability of the Dirac equation under the proposed scheme puts minor demands on gauge and spacetime backgrounds; however, a wide array of physical spacetimes, such as all vacuum and static solutions, prove to be implementable. As a…
A candidate for a realistic relativistic quantum theory is the hypersurface Bohm-Dirac model. Its formulation uses a foliation of spacetime into space-like hypersurfaces. This structure may well arise from the universal wave function itself, entailing the relativistic character of the theory despite the appearance of a preferred foliation. However, to apply the theory and to make contact with the usual quantum formalism one needs a framework for the description of subsystems. The presence of spin together with the foliation renders the subsystem description more complicated as compared to the …
The de Broglie-Bohm causal theory of quantum mechanics is applied to the hydrogen atom in the fully spin-dependent and relativistic framework of the Dirac equation, and in the nonrelativistic but spin-dependent framework of the Pauli equation. Eigenstates are chosen which are simultaneous eigenstates of the energy H, total angular momentum M, and z component of the total angular momentum M_z. We find the trajectories of the electron, and show that in these eigenstates, motion is circular about the z-axis, with constant angular velocity. We compute the rates of revolution for the ground (n=1) s…
In this work, we study of the (2+1)-dimensional Dirac oscillator in the presence of a homogeneous magnetic field in an Aharonov-Bohm-Coulomb system. To solve our system, we apply the $left$-$handed$ and $right$-$handed$ projection operators in the Dirac oscillator to obtain a biconfluent Heun equation. Next, we explicitly determine the energy spectrum for the bound states of the system and their exact dependence on the cyclotron frequency $ω_c$ and on the parameters $Z$ and $Φ_{AB}$ that characterize the Aharonov-Bohm-Coulomb system. As a result, we observe that by adjusting the frequency of t…
The time-dependent Dirac equation is solved using the three-dimensional Finite Difference-Time Domain (FDTD) method. The dynamics of the electron wave packet in a vector potential is studied in the arrangements associated with the Aharonov-Bohm effect. The solution of the Dirac equation showed a change in the velocity of the electron wave packet even in a region where no fields of the unperturbed solenoid acted on the electron. The solution of the Dirac equation qualitatively agreed with the prediction of classical dynamics under the assumption that the dynamics was defined by the conservation…
We recall Dirac's early proposals to develop a description of quantum phenomena in terms of a non-commutative algebra in which he suggested a way to construct what he called `quantum trajectories'. Generalising these ideas, we show how they are related to weak values and explore their use in the experimental construction of quantum trajectories. We discuss covering spaces which play an essential role in accounting for the `wave' properties of quantum particles. We briefly point out how new mathematical techniques take us beyond Hilbert space and into a deeper structure which connects with the …
We study all the s.a. Schrodinger and Dirac operators (Hamiltonians) both with pure AB field and with magnetic-solenoid field. Then, we perform a complete spectral analysis for these operators, which includes finding spectra and spectral decompositions, or inversion formulas. In constructing the Hamiltonians and performing their spectral analysis, we respectively follow the von Neumann theory of s.a. extensions of symmetric differential operators and the Krein method of guiding functionals. The examples of similar consideration are given by us in arXiv:0903.5277, where a nonrelativistic partic…
Time-reversal ($\mathcal{T}$-) symmetry is fundamental to many physical processes. Typically, $\mathcal{T}$-breaking for microscopic processes requires the presence of magnetic field. However, for 2D massless Dirac billiards, $\mathcal{T}$-symmetry is broken automatically by the mass confinement, leading to chiral quantum scars. In this paper, we investigate the mechanism of $\mathcal{T}$-breaking by analyzing the local current of the scarring eigenstates and their magnetic response to an Aharonov--Bohm flux. Our results unveil the complete understanding of the subtle $\mathcal{T}$-breaking ph…
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.
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 …
The Aharonov-Bohm (AB) effect for the singular string associated with the Dirac monopole carrying an arbitrary magnetic charge is studied. It is shown that the emerging difficulties in explanation of the AB effect may be removed by introducing nonassociative path-dependent wave functions. This provides the absence of the AB effect for the Dirac string of magnetic monopole with an arbitrary magnetic charge.
A partial wave analysis using the basis of the total angular momentum operator J_3 is carried out for the first order Born amplitude of a Dirac particle in an Aharonov-Bohm (AB)potential. It is demonstrated that the s-partial wave contributes to the scattering amplitude in contrast to the case with scalar non-relativistic particles.We suggest that this explains the fact that the first order Born amplitude of a Dirac particle coincides with the exact amplitude expanded to the same order, where it does not for a scalar particle. An interesting algebra involving the Dirac velocity operator and th…
The Dirac equation has been applied to fermions scattering from the downward potential step. The results show some particles do not fall off the edge of the step and reflect. Also, based on de Broglie-Bohm interpretation of quantum mechanics (Bohmian mechanics) and Bohmian trajectories we have resolved the problem. Lastly, a phenomenological study of the Bohmian trajectory of the Klein paradox has been discussed.
We give a relativistically covariant, wave-functional formulation of Bohm's quantum field theory for the scalar field based on a general foliation of space-time by space-like hypersurfaces. The wave functional, which guides the evolution of the field, is space-time-foliation independent but the field itself is not. Hence, in order to have a theory in which the field may be considered a beable, some extra rule must be given to determine the foliation. We suggest one such rule based on the eigen vectors of the energy-momentum tensor of the field itself.
The quantum-mechanical problem of constructing a self-adjoint Hamiltonian for the Dirac equation in an Aharonov--Bohm field in 2+1 dimensions is solved with taking into account the fermion spin. The one-parameter family of self-adjoint extensions is found for the above Dirac Hamiltonian with particle spin. The correct domain of the self-adjoint Hamiltonian extension selecting by means of acceptable boundary conditions can contain regular and singular (at the point ${\bf r}=0$) square-integrable functions on the half-line with measure $rdr$. We argue that the physical reason of the existence of…
In this paper we present for the first time a complete description of the Bohm model of the Dirac particle. This result demonstrates again that the common perception that it is not possible to construct a fully relativistic version of the Bohm approach is incorrect. We obtain the fully relativistic version by using an approach based on Clifford algebras outlined in two earlier papers by Hiley and by Hiley and Callaghan. The relativistic model is different from the one originally proposed by Bohm and Hiley and by Doran and Lasenby. We obtain exact expressions for the Bohm energy-momentum densit…
The structure of the interaction Hamiltonian in the first order $S-$matrix element of a Dirac particle in an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) field is analyzed and shown to have interesting algebraic properties. It is demonstrated that as a consequence of these properties, this interaction Hamiltonian splits both the incident and outgoing waves in the the first order $S-$matrix into their $\frac{Σ_3}{2}-$components (eigenstates of the third component of the spin). The matrix element can then be viewed as the sum of two transitions taking place in these two channels of the spin. At the level of partial waves…
In classical relativistic mechanics, a "preferred" proper direction in spacetime for each particle is determined by the direction of its 4-momentum. Analogously, for each quantum particle we find a local direction uniquely determined by the many-particle wave function, which for each particle defines the proper foliation of spacetime. This can be used to formulate a relativistic-covariant version of Bohmian mechanics, with equivariant probability density on proper hypersurfaces.
The effect of vacuum polarization of charged massive fermions in an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) potential in 2+1 dimensions is investigated. The causal Green's function of the Dirac equation with the AB potential is represented via the regular and irregular solutions of the two-dimensional radial Dirac equation. It is shown that the vacuum current density contains the contribution from free filled states of the negative energy continuum as well as that from a bound unfilled state, which can emerge in the above background due to the interaction of the fermion spin magnetic moment with the AB magnetic fi…
The relativistic theory of the Dirac fermions moving on cylinders in external Aharonov-Bohm field is built starting with a suitably restricted Dirac equation whose spin degrees of freedom are not affected. The exact solutions of this equation on finite or infinite Aharonov-Bohm cylinders allow one to derive the relativistic circular and longitudinal currents pointing out their principal features. It is shown that all the circular currents are related to the energy in the same manner on cylinders or rings either in the relativistic approach or in the non-relativistic one. The specific relativis…
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 $\mathbfΣ$ along the direction of the total momentum of the system, and the two operators constructed from the projections of the $\mathbfΣ$ operator along the momentum transfer and the z-directions close the SU(2) algebra.It is suggested, then, that these two d…
We address the question whether Bohmian trajectories exist for all times. Bohmian trajectories are solutions of an ordinary differential equation involving a wavefunction obeying either the Schroedinger or the Dirac equation. Some trajectories may end in finite time, for example by running into a node of the wavefunction, where the law of motion is ill-defined. The aim is to show, under suitable assumptions on the initial wavefunction and the potential, global existence of almost all solutions. We provide a simpler and more transparent proof of the known global existence result for spinless Sc…
We present a local interpretation of what is usually considered to be a nonlocal de Broglie-Bohm trajectory prescription for an entangled singlet state of massive particles. After reviewing various meanings of the term ``nonlocal'', we show that by using appropriately retarded wavefunctions (i.e., the locality loophole) this local model can violate Bell's inequality, without making any appeal to detector inefficiencies. We analyze a possible experimental configuration appropriate to massive two-particle singlet wavefunctions and find that as long as the particles are not ultra-relativistic, a …
Vacuum polarization of charged massless fermions is investigated in the superposition of Coulomb and Aharonov--Bohm (AB) potentials in 2+1 dimensions. For this purpose we construct the Green function of the two-dimensional Dirac equation with Coulomb and AB potentials (via the regular and irregular solutions of the radial Dirac equation) and calculate the vacuum polarization charge density in these fields in the so-called subcritical and supercritical regimes. The role of the self-adjoint extension parameter is discussed in terms of the physics of problem. We hope that our results will be help…
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…
Exact analytic solutions are found for the Dirac equation in 2+1 dimensions for a spin-one-half particle in a combination of the Lorentz 3-vector and scalar Coulomb as well as Aharonov--Bohm potentials. We employ the two-component Dirac equation which contains a new parameter introduced by Hagen to describe the spin of the spin-1/2 particle. We derive a transcendental equations that implicitly determine the energy spectrum of an electron near the negative-energy continuum boundary and the critical charges for some electron states. Fermion pair production from a vacuum by a strong Coulomb field…
Generalized solutions of the standard gauge transformation equations are presented and discussed in physical terms. They go beyond the usual Dirac phase factors and they exhibit nonlocal quantal behavior, with the well-known Relativistic Causality of classical fields affecting directly the phases of wavefunctions in the Schroedinger Picture. These nonlocal phase behaviors, apparently overlooked in path-integral approaches, give a natural account of the dynamical nonlocality character of the various (even static) Aharonov-Bohm phenomena, while at the same time they seem to respect Causality. In…
Generalized solutions of the standard gauge transformation equations are presented and discussed in physical terms. They go beyond the usual Dirac phase factors and they exhibit nonlocal quantal behavior, with the well-known Relativistic Causality of classical fields affecting directly the phases of wavefunctions in the Schrödinger Picture. These nonlocal phase behaviors, apparently overlooked in path-integral approaches, give a natural account of the dynamical nonlocality character of the various (even static) Aharonov-Bohm phenomena, while at the same time they seem to respect Causality. For…
In this paper, we study the influence of topological and noninertial effects on a Dirac particle confined in an Aharonov-Bohm (AB) ring. Next, we explicitly determine the Dirac spinor and the energy spectrum for the relativistic bound states. We observe that this spectrum depends on the quantum number $n$, magnetic flux $Φ$ of the ring, angular velocity $ω$ associated to the noninertial effects of a rotating frame, and on the deficit angle $η$ associated to the topological effects of a cosmic string. We verified that this spectrum is a periodic function and grows in values as a function of $n$…
In this work, we study the Aharonov-Bohm-Coulomb (ABC) system for a relativistic Dirac particle with position-dependent mass (PDM). To solve our system, we use the left-handed and right-handed projection operators. Next, we explicitly obtain the eigenfunctions and the energy spectrum of the particle. We verify that these eigenfunctions are written in terms of the generalized Laguerre polynomials and the energy spectrum depends on the parameters Z, $Φ_{AB}$ and $κ$. We notice that the parameter $κ$ has the function of increasing the values of the energy levels of the system. In addition, the us…
We show that the standard Dirac phase factor is not the only solution of the gauge transformation equations. The full form of a general gauge function (that connects systems that move in different sets of scalar and vector potentials), apart from Dirac phases also contains terms of classical fields that act nonlocally (in spacetime) on the local solutions of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation: the phases of wavefunctions in the Schrödinger picture are affected nonlocally by spatially and temporally remote magnetic and electric fields, in ways that are fully explored. These contributions g…
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…
The geometric structure of an energy band in a solid is fundamental for a wide range of many-body phenomena in condensed matter and is uniquely characterized by the distribution of Berry curvature over the Brillouin zone. In analogy to an Aharonov-Bohm interferometer that measures the magnetic flux penetrating a given area in real space, we realize an atomic interferometer to measure Berry flux in momentum space. We demonstrate the interferometer for a graphene-type hexagonal lattice, where it has allowed us to directly detect the singular $π$ Berry flux localized at each Dirac point. We show …
We consider the Dirac equation in cylindrically symmetric magnetic fields and find its normal modes as eigenfunctions of a complete set of commuting operators. This set consists of the Dirac operator itself, the $z$-components of the linear and the total angular momenta, and of one of the possible spin polarization operators. The spin structure of the solution is completely fixed independently of the radial distribution of the magnetic field which influences only the radial modes. We solve explicitly the radial equations for the uniform magnetic field inside a solenoid of a finite radius and c…
