Ehrenfest theorem in relativistic quantum theory
Quantum Physics
2022-06-01 v2
Abstract
Ehrenfest theorem is proven in relativistic quantum theory of charged particles, moving under the influence of an external electromagnetic field. In order to extend the classic Ehrenfest result to the relativistic domain we bypassed the problems with the relativistic position operator by deriving directly Newton's second law. Our approach is characterized by its universality. The detailed form of the wave equation is not needed. All that is required is the existence of the conserved electric four-current built from the particle wave function. The derivation is based on the conservation laws for the energy and momentum.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2111.10798,
title = {Ehrenfest theorem in relativistic quantum theory},
author = {Iwo Bialynicki-Birula and Zofia Bialynicka-Birula},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2111.10798},
year = {2022}
}
Comments
Submitted to: Coherent Control: Photons, Atoms and Molecules The B W Shore Memorial Issue of the Journal of Physics B