PREVIOUS LECTURE RECAP

Dirac equation
( + ) = 0
( x + mc
~ ) = 0

A
p p e c

p = i~
~ iA0)
A = (A,
 
0 1
1 =
1 0


2 =

0 i
i 0



1 0
3 =
0 1
Thus we take the matrices as (4 4)
1

matrices defined as


I 0
= 4 =
0 I

k = ik =


k =

0 ik
ik 0

0 k
k 0

This equation make sense only if the

Wave Function is a four component column matrix.

1
2

=
3
4
Dirac equation

( + ) = 0
using the summation convention can be
written as
(11 + 22 + 33 + 44 + ) = 0


+ + + + =
1 x
2 y
3 z
4 (ict)
0
Complete form of Dirac Matrices
When written completely by substituting the Pouli Spin Matrices The gamma
matrices actually takes the form

0
0
1 =
0
i

0
0
3 =
i
0

0
0
i
0

0
i
0
0

0
0
0
i

i
0
0
0
2 =
0
0
0
1

i
0
0
0

1
0

i
4 = 0
0
0
0
0

0
1
0
0

0
0
1
0

0
1
0
0

0
0
1
0

1
0

0
0

0
0

0
1

Substituting these matrices in the dirac

equation we get

4
0
i3 i1 2

i
+

i
4
1
2
3

i3 i1 + 2
4
0
i1 2 i3
0
4
4

1
1
2
2
+ = 0
3
3
4
4
Thus the Dirac equation gives four coupled first order differential equations.
(4 + )1 + i33 + (i1 + 2)4 = 0
(4 +)2 +(i1 2)3 i34 = 0
i31 + (i1 + 2)2 (4 )3 = 0
(i1 2)1 i32 (4 )4 = 0
Conserved current-Representation independence
1

Conserved current

The main motivation behind the derivation of Dirac equation has been the fact
the Klein Gordon equation is not giv5

ing a positive definite probability density as required by the basic postulates

of quantum mechanics. In the following we show that Dirac equation actually gives a positive definite probability

density. An adjoint Dirac spinor ()

in contrast to the Hermitian conjugate
= 4.
spinor () is defined by
They can be represented as the following row matrices.
= (, , , )
= (1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ),
1 2
3
4
(1)
is considered to be an inNormally
dependent spinor different from . To
obtain its wave equation first of all the
Hermitian conjugate of Dirac equation
is taken.


mc
k +
4 + = 0 (2)
xk
xk
~
6

The adjoint Dirac equation is obtained

by multiplying the above equation from
the right by 4

mc

+
=0
(3)
x
~
As in the case of non-relativistic quantum mechanics we multiply the original
and
Dirac equation from the left by
the adjoint equation from the right by
and subtract to get



) = 0
(
(4)
x
The flux density four vector in Dirac
theory can therefore be written as
= (c, ic) (5)
s = ic
which satisfies the continuity equation


s
= s = 0.
(6)
x
7

It is clear that the quantity

= =

4
X

(7)

=1

is positive definite unlike the case of Klein

Gordon theory. Thus in Dirac theory
the problem of negative probability density is eliminated. The probability den 4 = and the quantity
sity is
k = ck is the flux
sk = ic
density.
2

Representation independence

Representation independence of Dirac

equation means that Dirac equations with
different form of gamma matrices are
equivalent if the gamma matrices satisfy the defining property (ie.) anticommutation. Let the Dirac equation
8

be written in the form




mc
0

0 = 0
+
x
~

(8)

In the above equation 0 satisfies the

defining property of gamma matrices (ie.)they
are 4 4 matrices satisfying {0 , 0 } =
2 with = 1 . . . 4. By representation independence we mean the assertion that the equation given
 above
is equivalent to x + mc
~ = 0

which is the original Dirac equation. Different possible sets of 44 matrices satisfying the anti-commutation relation given
above are said to be sets of gamma matrices in different representations. The
representation independence can be proved
by using Paulis fundamental theorem
which states that two sets of 44 matrices satisfying the anti-commutation re9

lations {, } = 2 and {0 , 0 } =
2 with , = 1 . . . 4 there exists a
nonsingular 4 4 matrix S such that
SS 1 = 0

(9)

where the matrix S is unique (up to

a multiplicative constant). The Dirac
equation in the new representation can
now be written as



mc
1
+
SS 10 = 0
SS
x
~
(10)
Multiplying from the left by S 1 we get



mc

+
S 10 = 0 (11)
x
~
which is same as the original Dirac equation with the solution given by S0.
therefor equation [8] is equivalent to the
Dirac equation and the wave functions
10

in both representations are related by

0 = S

(12)

According to Paulis fundamental theorem S can be chosen to be unitary if 0

are Hermitian. The unitarity of the matrix S implies the equivalence of probability density and flux density in both
representations as seen below.
0 0 0 = 0 0 0 0

4
= S S4S 1SS 1S

(13)

This clearly shows that all the physical

consequences are same in both representations. But the wave functions in
different representations look different.
Most common gamma matrices used are
the following
1. The standard Dirac Pauli represen11

tation used in the present treatment.

2. The Weyl representation in which k
and 4 are off diagonal matrices.
3. The Majorana representation in which
k are purely real and 4 is purely
imaginary.

12