Relativistic electron theory references?

[wotanub]

It was hard to decide where to post this. I want it to be in the right section (maybe textbook discussion or academic guidance) but I also want people that would know the answer to see it. Mods can move it if needed.

I'm looking for something to read other than Merzbacher chapter 24. I just don't like the style. It's not readable in my opinion.

The topics in the book are:
The Electron-Positron Field
The Dirac Equation
Relativistic Invariance
Solutions to the free Field Dirac Equation
CPT
One Particle Approximation
Dirac Theory in Heisenberg Picture
Dirac Theory in Schrodinger Picture
Central Forces and Hydrogen

I looked in my other QM textbooks and they don't cover this and in my QFT books it is covered in like the 3rd or 4th chapters, but I haven't read any of the books.

 

[Astronuc]

To what textbooks is one referring?

Has one tried other resources, e.g., http://www.eng.fsu.edu/~dommelen/quantum/style_a/dirac.html

or

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006AWY0S/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[WannabeNewton]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/3540674578/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[wotanub]

To what textbooks is one referring?
[/QUOTE] Since you were wonderin...ou've posted? I can't find information on it.

 

[Astronuc]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/3540674578/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Great reference!

Meanwhile - http://student.ulb.ac.be/~kpotamia/IRPHYS3%20-%20The%20Dirac%20Equation.pdf
http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/qm/Quantumhtml/node99.html

It seems there's plenty of resources available.

Since you were wondering, I've looked in Sakurai and Weinberg QM. I have a Relativistic QM book by Ohlsson, and QFT books by Schwartz and Zee and it certainly isn't in my undergrad level books.

It looks like one book is available online from my library and the other I have to order from the depository... Astronuc, do you have experience with the book you've posted? I can't find information on it.

The reference I picked was a quick example. Go with WbN's reference.

 

[wotanub]

I just read a chapter of Greiner's book. I like it, much better read than Merzbacher. I might purchase a copy for my collection. Maybe I should check out his Quantum book too, he cites himself so much! Ha ha!

 

[cgk]

It should maybe be noted that how to properly do relativistic electrons once there is more than one is still an active research topic. Even if many physics textbooks would claim otherwise because they can treat the hydrogen atom just fine...

Some pointers to recent work on the topic on QED vs. Hamiltonians and how the latter arise and are to be interpreted are given in http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/qua.24600 (Wenjian Liu - Perspective: Relativistic Hamiltonians).

 

[WannabeNewton]

Maybe I should check out his Quantum book too, he cites himself so much! Ha ha!

While you're at it, get his book on field quantization as well. I'm working through it at the moment and it's an absolutely brilliant resource for QFT particularly because it has a wealth of worked examples and (really loooooooong) problem sets.