3.4 Dirac Matrices and Dirac Field Bilinears 49 _({m po “\p-e m }* In the second line we have used Oy eet = s=12 Thus we arrive at the desired formula, Sw (P)a*(p) = yp +m. (3.66) 3 Similarly, Sv (p)e*(P) = y-p-m. (3.67) The combination y-p occurs so often that Feynman introduced the notation ~=7"p,- We will use this notation frequently from now on. 3.4 Dirac Matrices and Dirac Field Bilinears We saw in Section 3.2 that the quantity yw is a Lorentz scalar. It is also easy to show that yyy is a 4-vector—we used this fact in writing down the Dirac Lagrangian (3.34). Now let us ask a more general question: Consider the expression ~I'y, where I’ is any 4x 4 constant matrix. Can we decompose this expression into terms that have definite transformation properties under the Lorentz group? The answer is yes, if we write I in terms of the following basis of sixteen 4x4 matrices, defined as antisymmetric combinations of y-matrices: 1 1 of these ye 4 of these yi = Lye, y"] ty] = io” 6 of these UP a= lite ye 4 of these v0 = alt yea] 1 of these 16 total The Lorentz-transformation properties of these matrices are easy to deter- mine. For example, Bey — GAP) Eb") (gv) apa lig eee PO(APYMALAP "Ag — AP ALAY "Ag )w = MyM ayy. Each set, of matrices transforms as an antisymmetric tensor of successively higher rank.