Why Spinors Are Irreducible if Gamma-Traceless: Explained

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the irreducibility of spinors when they are gamma-traceless, exploring theoretical aspects related to spin-3/2 particles, Dirac spinors, and the implications of divergence in spinor-vector fields. Participants reference literature and seek clarifications on complex concepts within the context of quantum field theory.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about the irreducibility of gamma-traceless spinors and requests clarification on this condition, particularly in relation to higher spin fields.
  • Another participant suggests contacting a specific user for further insights, implying that the answer may be found on a linked Stack Exchange page.
  • A participant asserts that understanding the reasoning on the Stack Exchange page may be challenging for the original poster, indicating a potential gap in comprehension.
  • There is a question regarding the significance of a 1/2 component associated with the divergence of a Dirac spinor, with a participant suggesting it may relate to removing "ghosts," though the term "ghosts" is not defined in the context.
  • Clarifications are made about the nature of the spinor-vector field and its relation to Dirac spinors, emphasizing that the divergence of the spinor-vector field satisfies the Dirac equation.
  • Links to external resources, including Wikipedia and a blog, are shared as potentially helpful, though one participant critiques the effectiveness of these resources compared to their own explanations.
  • A participant raises a question about the manipulation of indices in spinors using the metric tensor, referencing a source for further context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of understanding and clarity regarding the concepts discussed, with some agreeing on the need for further explanation while others challenge the adequacy of external resources. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing views on the interpretation of spinor properties and their mathematical treatment.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific literature and external links, but there is acknowledgment that these may not fully clarify the issues at hand. The discussion includes unresolved questions about the implications of certain mathematical operations and the definitions of terms like "ghosts."

filip97
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I read this question

https://physics.stackexchange.com/q...onditions-is-a-vector-spinor-gamma-trace-free . Also I read Sexl and Urbantke book about groups. But I don't understand why spinors is irreducible if these are gamma-tracelees. Also I read many papers about higher spin fields in which doesn't explain and proof gamma traceless(irreducibility condition) of spinors of higher rank. Can any explain this ?
 
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Perhaps if we ping @samalkhaiat , you can get an answer. :) It may very well be the one on the SE website, though.
 
Ok, it is clearer. But why 1/2 component carried with divergence of Dirac spinor ? (This removing ghosts ?)
 
filip97 said:
Ok, it is clearer.
Is it? Then why are you asking this?
But why 1/2 component carried with divergence of Dirac spinor ?
First: \psi^{\mu}(x) is a spinor-vector field. It describes spin-3/2 particle and its anti-particle. It is NOT a Dirac spinor (Dirac spinor field describes spin-1/2 particle and its anti-particle).
Second: The divergence of \psi^{\mu}(x) IS a Dirac spinor because (as I have already explained in the other thread) \partial_{\mu}\psi^{\mu} satisfies the Dirac equation. In other words, the field \psi (x) \equiv \partial_{\mu}\psi^{\mu}(x) represents one of the two spin-1/2 components of the spinor-vector field \psi^{\mu}(x). All of this was explained in the other thread.
(This removing ghosts ?)
Which ghosts are these?
 
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filip97
Can we raising and lowering indices of mwtric spinor with 2-contravariant or 2-covariant with metric tensor ? I think that we can do this with sigma(mu,nu) this write in Sexl Urbantke book of group representation. I was post this question because don't clear ho we contract Dirac equation with gamma(mu). Thanks a lot !
 

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