PROCEEDINGS OF THE YEREVAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Physical and Mathematical Sciences 2019, 53(2), p. 138–141

Physics

INVARIANT SOLUTION OF THE DIRAC EQUATION IN THE CROSSED

ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS (H > E)

R. G. PETROSYAN, M. A. DAVTYAN ∗

Chair of Theoretical Physics YSU, Armenia

In the article exact analytical and invariant solutions for both spinless and
half-spin relativistic charged particles in crossed constant electric and magnetic
fields, when H > E have been found. It is shown that in both cases the problem
reduces to that of quantum harmonic oscillator.
MSC2010: 81V10.
Keywords: invariant solution, crossed electric and magnetic fields, Klein–
Gordon equation, Dirac equation.

Introduction. There are very few problems in quantum mechanics, the exact
solutions of which have been found in an analytical and invariant form. The most
notable ones are Gordon [1] and Volkov [2] solutions of the problem of quantum
relativistic particles with zero and half spin in the field of electromagnetic plane wave.
Afterwards, many authors examined the problem of relativistic electron in different
electromagnetic field configurations. Particularly, the configuration with non equal
absolute values of electric and magnetic fields was examined in [3] and [4], but the
solutions in both cases were not represented in invariant form. The invariant solution
of the Dirac equation has many applications in some modern problems.
In this paper the dynamics of a particle in crossed constant electric and
magnetic fields in case of H > E is examined and the exact invariant solutions of
the Klein–Gordon and Dirac equations are found.
The crossed constant electric and magnetic fields configuration is described by
the four-vector potential of the form
Aµ = aµ φ , (1)
where φ = kν xν (k2 > 0). Lorentz gauge condition results in kν aν = 0.
∗ E-mail: mher.davtyan@ysumail.am
 INVARIANT SOLUTION OF THE DIRAC EQUATION IN THE CROSSED ELECTRIC. . . 139

Scalar Particles. Taking into account the Lorentz gauge condition, Klein–
Gordon equation which describes the dynamics of a spinless particle can be written as

e2 2
 
2 µ 2ieh̄ µ 2 2
−h δµ δ − A δµ + 2 A − m c Φ = 0. (2)
c c
Seek the solution of Eq. (2) in the form
 µ 
ip kµ ipµ xµ
Φ = exp φ− U(φ ) , (3)
h̄k2 h̄
where pµ is for the time being an arbitrary constant four-vector. Substituting (3) in
Eq. (2) Klein–Gordon equation gets the form
"  #
(a pµ )2 (pµ kµ )2 e2 a2 caµ pµ 2
 µ  
00 1 2 2 2
U + 2 2 + − p +m c − 2 2 2 φ − U = 0.
h̄ k a2 k2 h̄ k c ea2
(4)
After changing the variable
 2 2 1/2  
e a caµ pµ
φ− →z (5)
h̄2 k2 c2 ea2
and introducing dimensionless quantity
  2 2 −1/2
(a pµ )2 (pµ kµ )2
 µ
2 2 2 e a
γ= + − p + m c 2 2 2
, (6)
a2 k2 h̄ k c
we get the following equation
00
U + (γ − z2 )U = 0, (7)
which is nothing but the Schrödinger equation of linear quantum harmonic oscillator.
Its physical solutions exist under the condition
γ = 2n + 1 , n = 0, 1, 2 . . . (8)
and have the form
1 2
Un (z) = √ 1/2 exp(−z /2)Hn (z), (9)
(2n n! π)
where Hn (z) = (−1)n exp(z2 /2)(d/dz)n exp(−z2 /2) are the Hermite polynomials.
1
Particles with Spin. We will proceed from iterated Dirac equation, which
2
has the form:  
µ e µ 2 2 2 ih̄e µν
p − A − m c − Fµν σ Ψ = 0, (10)
c 2c
1
where σ µν = (γ µ γ ν − γ ν γ µ ). γ is the set of Dirac matrices, Fµν is the
2
electromagnetic field tensor. Seek the solution of this equation in the form
140 R. G. PETROSYAN, M. A. DAVTYAN
   
ipµ kµ ipµ xµ ϕ
Ψs = exp φ − u(φ ) , (11)
h̄k2 h̄ κ s
 
ϕ ih̄e
where (s = ±1) are two eigenvectors of the operator Fµν σ µν with
κ s 2c
eigenvalues
eh̄ p 2
λs = s H − E 2. (12)
c
By substituting Eq. (11) into Eq. (10) with changing the variable in same manner as
in Eq. (5) and introducing dimensionless quantity
  2 2 −1/2
(a pµ )2 (pµ kµ )2
 µ
2 2 2 e a
γ=
e + − p +m c −λ 2 2 2
, (13)
a2 k2 h̄ k c
we get
00
u + (γe − z2 )U = 0, (14)
which, again, is nothing but the Schrödinger equation of linear quantum harmonic
oscillator. Its physical solutions exist under the condition
γe = 2n + 1 , n = 0, 1, 2 . . . (15)
and have the form
1 2
un (z) = √ 1/2 exp(−z /2)Hn (z), (16)
(2n n! π)
where Hn (z) = (−1)n exp(z2 /2)(d/dz)n exp(−z2 /2) are the Hermite polynomials.
The energy spectrum is discrete and is implicitly given by Eq. (15). To
calculate the exact expression for energy spectrum, we take the frame, where the
electric field is directed along the y axis, and the magnetic field is directed along the
z axis. With such a specification of the coordinate system, the four-vector potential
takes the form  xn 
A µ = a µ φ , φ = k ν xν = t − , (17)
c
where  
µ 1 H
k = 1, , 0, 0 , aµ = (0, 0, −cE, 0). (18)
c E
Taking into consideration Eqs. (12), (17) and (18), we get the energy spectrum:
cpx E 2 H 2 − E 2  2 2
  p 
2 4 2 − E2 ,
εns − = p z c + m c − (2n + s + 1) eh̄c H (19)
H H2
where s is the spin projection number with values s = +1 and s = −1. For E = 0
Eq. (19) reduces to the well known result [5] for the energy spectrum of a half spin
particle in a magnetic field:
2
εns = p2z c2 + m2 c4 − (2n + s + 1) eh̄cH. (20)
 INVARIANT SOLUTION OF THE DIRAC EQUATION IN THE CROSSED ELECTRIC. . . 141

Main Result. The invariant solution of relativistic particle in crossed electro-

magnetic field configuration when H > E was exactly found. It is shown that for both
1
spinless particles and for particles with spin the energy spectrum is discrete.
2

Received 08.04.2019
Reviewed 23.04.2019
Accepted 29.04.2019

REFERENCES

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Physik, 40:1–2 (1926), 117–133.
2. Wolkow D.M. Über eine Klasse von Lösungen der Diracschen Gleichung. Zeitschrift für
Physik, 94:3 (1935), 250–260.
3. Canuto V., Chiuderi C. Solution of the Dirac Equation in Orthogonal Electric and
Magnetic Fields. Lettere al Nuovo Cimento, 2:6 (1969–1970), 223–227.
4. Lam L. Dirac Electron in Orthogonal Electric and Magnetic Fields. Lettere al Nuovo
Cimento, 3:9 (1969–1970), 292–294.
5. Berestetskii V.B., Pitaevskii L.P., Lifshitz E.M. Quantum Electrodynamics. Vol. 4
(2nd ed.). Butterworth–Heinemann (1982).
6. Gradshtein I.S., Rijik I.M. Tables of Integrals, Sums, Series and Products. M., Nauka
(1971) (in Russian).
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Press (1959).

. G. PETROSYAN, M. A. DAVYAN
DIRAKI HAVASARMAN INVARIANT LU UM XAVO
LEKTRAKAN EV MAGNISAKAN DA
TERUM (H > E )
Axatanqum haytnaberva en grit analitik invariant
luumner inpes zro, aynpes l kes spinov elyativistakan licqavorva
masnikneri hamar, hastatun xavo lektrakan magnisakan
daterum, H > E -i depqum: Cuyc  trva, or erku depqum l xndir
bervum  qvantayin harmonik scilyatori havasarman: