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feynmann
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Can anyone explain what's negative energy mean in Dirac theory?
Does it imply anti-particle travel backward in time?
Does it imply anti-particle travel backward in time?
feynmann said:Does it imply anti-particle travel backward in time?
feynmann said:Can anyone explain what's negative energy mean in Dirac theory?
Does it imply anti-particle travel backward in time?
malawi_glenn said:The negative energy solutions in the dirac equation WAS inteperted as "just math", but not by dirac, who postulated the existence of antimatter.
Then we have the Feynman-Stueckelberg interpretation that the field is propagating backwards in time means that the antiparticle has same mass and spin as the particle, but opposite electric charge.
fractal_uk said:Feynman came up with an alternative interpretation by considering the possibility of a negative in time instead of energy.
fractal_uk said:Indeed, allowing energy to permit negative values is very problematic - if we permit these values, there is nothing in priniciple to stop a system decaying away to a negative infinity of energy. Consider an electron decaying away to negative infinity in energy - emitting infinitely many photons in the process.
Dirac interpreted this by postulating that all the negative energy states were full. Though it would be possible to free up these states with the input of positive energy. Dirac interpreted these unfilled negative energy states as anti-particles.
Feynmann came up with an alternative interpretation by considering the possibility of a negative in time instead of energy.
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Negative energy in Dirac theory is a concept that arises from the Dirac equation, which describes the behavior of particles with spin. In this equation, there are both positive and negative energy solutions, with the negative energy solutions being interpreted as antimatter particles.
In Dirac theory, negative energy solutions are interpreted as antimatter particles. This means that for every particle with positive energy, there exists a corresponding antiparticle with negative energy.
Yes, negative energy in Dirac theory is a real physical phenomenon that has been observed in experiments. For example, the existence of antimatter particles, which are described by negative energy solutions, has been confirmed by experiments such as the production of positrons in particle accelerators.
Negative energy in Dirac theory is different from negative energy in other theories because it is a consequence of the Dirac equation, which is a relativistic quantum mechanical equation. In other theories, negative energy may have different interpretations or consequences.
At this time, there are no known practical applications for negative energy in Dirac theory. However, research in this area continues to explore potential uses for antimatter particles, which are described by negative energy solutions in this theory.