Commutation relations for bosons and fermions

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
3 replies · 4K views
Higgsono
Messages
93
Reaction score
4
For the free boson, the field operators satisfies the commutation relation,

$${\varphi}_{x'}{\varphi}_{x} - {\varphi}_{x}{\varphi}_{x'} = 0$$ at equal times.

While the fermions satisfies,

$${\psi}_{x'}{\psi}_{x} + {\psi}_{x}{\psi}_{x'} = 0$$ at equal times.

I interpret ##{\varphi}_{x}## and ##{\psi}_{x'}## as creating a boson and a fermion at position x and x' respectively.

But what is the physical interpretation of the commutations relations? I'm trying to relate it to the fact that fermions changes sign when any two fermions are interchanged, while bosons do not.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
You can't create two fermions at the same place at the same time (but I bet you already knew that). ##\psi (x) \psi (x) + \psi(x)\psi(x)=0## so ##\psi(x)\psi(x)=0##

Bosons, on the other hand, "like" to be in the same state.
 
Gene Naden said:
You can't create two fermions at the same place at the same time (but I bet you already knew that). ##\psi (x) \psi (x) + \psi(x)\psi(x)=0## so ##\psi(x)\psi(x)=0##

Bosons, on the other hand, "like" to be in the same state.

They are not created at the same place. Did you notice the prime on the x's`?
 
But ##x## and ##x^\prime## are arbitrary. They can be equal. When they are equal then they are created at the same place. So that is part of the physical meaning: they cannot be created at the same place. The commutation and anti-commutation relations reflect the Pauli principle, I believe.

Anyway, the full relation is ##\psi(x)\psi(x^\prime)+\psi(x^\prime)\psi(x)=\delta(x-x^\prime)## so that reflects equality of ##x## and ##x^\prime##