English

Relativistic Covariance of Scattering

Quantum Physics 2023-07-31 v1 High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

We analyze relativistic quantum scattering in the Schr\"odinger picture. The suggestive requirement of translational invariance and conservation of the four-momentum, that the interacting Hamiltonian commute with the four-momentum PP of free particles, is shown to imply the absence of interactions. The relaxed requirement, that the interacting Hamiltonian HH' commute with the four-velocity U=P/MU= P/M, M=P2M=\sqrt{P^2}, allows Poincar\'e covariant interactions just as in the nonrelativistic case. If the SS-matrix is Lorentz invariant, it still commutes with the four-momentum PP though HH' does not. Shifted observers, whose translations are generated by the four-velocity UU, just see a shifted superposition of near-mass-degenerate states with unchanged relative phases, while the four-momentum generates oscillated superpositions with changed relative phases.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2307.15426,
  title  = {Relativistic Covariance of Scattering},
  author = {Norbert Dragon},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2307.15426},
  year   = {2023}
}

Comments

14 pages, 1 figure