How to graph Dirac equation, some complex numbers?

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
1 reply · 2K views
Spinnor
Gold Member
Messages
2,234
Reaction score
419
Say we a have a sum of spin up plane wave solutions to the Dirac equation which represent the wave-function of a localized spin-up electron which is 90% likely to be found within a distance R of the origin of a spherical coordinate system. Four complex numbers at each spacetime point are needed? Fix time and graph this function at the points θ=∏/2, r=R, and phi=∏/2, ∏, 3∏/2, 2∏, ? 5∏/2, 3∏, 7∏/2, 4∏. Up is θ=0. Do we need to graph two rotations or one?

If we advance a very small "distance" forward (or backward) in time do the complex numbers considered as 2 dimensional vectors rotate a little?

Can the above function be considered some sort of higher dimensional surface? If so are there some sorts of topological "twists" to this function?

Thanks for any help!

Edit, the title of the thread should be "How to graph solutions to the Dirac equation, some complex numbers?" I reread the thread many times but not the title. Sorry.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org