QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS WITHOUT INDEFINITE METRIC.
Abstract
The electromagnetic potentials A sub a (X) are quantized in such a way that their space components are hermitian and their time component anti-hermitian. On the other hand, the metric in Hilbert space and the Hamiltonian are positive definite. The above formalism, which leads to the usual commutator (A sub a (x), A sub b (y)) = ig sub ab D sub O (x-y), is shown to be Lorentz covariant. Physical states are those containing neither longitudinal nor scalar photons (rather than a symmetric combination of them, as in the usual theory). This definition is also Lorentz covariant. The S-matrix is not unitary, but satisfies PS*PSP=P, where P is the projection operator over physical states. In other words, the S-matrix is unitary over the subspace of physical states, this being sufficient for the interpretation of the theory. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 07, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0605530
Entities
People
- A. Peres
Organizations
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology