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We explore the dynamics of relativistic quantum waves in a potential step by using an exact solution to the Klein-Gordon equation with a point source initial condition. We show that in both the propagation, and Klein-tunneling regimes, the…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-04-15 Fernando Nieto-Guadarrama , Jorge Villavicencio

Both metaphysical and practical considerations related to time inversion have intrigued scientists for generations. Physicists have strived to devise and implement time-inversion protocols, in particular different forms of "time mirrors"…

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics · Physics 2018-01-10 Phillipp Reck , Cosimo Gorini , Arseni Goussev , Viktor Krueckl , Mathias Fink , Klaus Richter

We present a classical optics simulation of the one-dimensional Dirac equation for a free particle. Positive and negative energy components are represented by orthogonal polarizations of a free propagating beam, while the spatial profile…

The Dirac oscillator is a relativistic quantum system, characterized by its linearity in both position and momentum. Moreover, considering $(1{+}1)$ and $(2{+}1)$ dimensions, the system can be mapped onto the Jaynes-Cummings and…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-12-23 Thiago T. Tsutsui , Alison A. Silva , Antonio S. M. de Castro , Fabiano M. Andrade

We develop a dynamic description of an effective Dirac theory in metamaterials, in which the wavefunction is modeled by the corresponding electric and magnetic field in the metamaterial. This electro-magnetic field can be probed in the…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2015-11-10 Sven Ahrens , Jun Jiang , Yong Sun , Shi-Yao Zhu

We present a general model allowing "quantum simulation" of one-dimensional Dirac models with 2- and 4-component spinors using ultracold atoms in driven 1D tilted optical latices. The resulting Dirac physics is illustrated by one of its…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2017-11-01 Jean Claude Garreau , Véronique Zehnlé

The Dirac wave equation for the electron soon lead to the recognition of the Zitterbewegung. This was studied both by Schrodinger and Dirac. Later there were further elegant and sometimes dissenting insights, from different authors. We…

General Physics · Physics 2009-02-18 Burra G. Sidharth

Zitterbewegung of a Dirac electron is an oscillation between positive and negative energy states, and is thus distinct from the analogous phenomena exhibited by spin half charged particles in electric and magnetic fields. Quantum field…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-06-26 Basil S. Davis

Dirac's Relativistic Wave Equation implies a measured electron velocity of $\pm c$ in any direction, in contradiction to Special Relativity and observation. It is shown in this article that this anomalous electron velocity reveals an…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2020-06-30 Basil S. Davis

A non-relativistic system such as an ultracold trapped ion may perform a quantum simulation of a Dirac equation dynamics under specific conditions. The resulting Hamiltonian and dynamics are highly controllable, but the coupling between…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2017-02-24 Xue-Ke Song , Fu-Guo Deng , Lucas Lamata , J. G. Muga

The worldline of a free electron is revealed by applying Dirac's velocity operator to its Dirac wave function whose space-time arguments are expressed in a proper time by a Lorentz transformation. This motion can be decomposed into two…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2026-01-21 James L Beck

In the most general geometric background, we study Dirac spinor fields with particular emphasis given to the explicit form of their gauge momentum and the way in which this can be inverted so to give the expression of the corresponding…

General Physics · Physics 2020-04-28 Luca Fabbri

This paper presents a relativistic symmetrical interpretation of the Dirac equation in 1+1 dimensions which predicts no zitterbewegung for a free spin-1/2 particle. This could resolve the longstanding puzzle of zitterbewegung in…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2014-10-22 Michael B. Heaney

Traditionally, the zitterbewegung (ZB) of the Dirac electron has just been studied at the level of quantum mechanics. Seeing that the fact that an old interest in ZB has recently been rekindled by the investigations on spintronic, graphene,…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2008-11-14 Zhi-Yong Wang , Cai-Dong Xiong

When studying Dirac operators, it is well known that the phenomenon of Zitterbewegung leads to a lack of convexity of the variance, which creates difficulties in the analysis of dispersive properties. In particular, standard virial methods…

Analysis of PDEs · Mathematics 2026-03-25 Lucrezia Cossetti , Luca Fanelli , Fabio Pizzichillo

Zitterbewegung (ZB) is a phenomenon in relativistic quantum systems where the electron wave packet exhibits a trembling or oscillating behavior during its motion, caused by its interaction or coupling with the negative energy state. To…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2017-02-01 Guanglei Wang , Hongya Xu , Liang Huang , Ying-Cheng Lai

A Dirac particle is represented by a unitarily evolving state vector in a Hilbert space which factors as $H_{spin} \otimes H_{position}$. Motivated by the similarity to simple models of decoherence consisting of a two state system coupled…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2007-05-23 David A. Meyer

One-electron 3+1 and 2+1 Dirac equations are used to calculate the motion of a relativistic electron in a vacuum in the presence of an external magnetic field. First, calculations are carried on an operator level and exact analytical…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2011-01-17 Tomasz M. Rusin , Wlodek Zawadzki

Quantum simulation is a powerful tool to study a variety of problems in physics, ranging from high-energy physics to condensed-matter physics. In this article, we review the recent theoretical and experimental progress in quantum simulation…

Quantum Gases · Physics 2012-03-28 Dan-Wei Zhang , Zi-Dan Wang , Shi-Liang Zhu

In the Dirac theory for the motion of free relativistic electrons, highly oscillatory components appear in the time evolution of physical observables such as position, velocity, and spin angular momentum. This effect is known as…

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics · Physics 2009-11-11 R. Winkler , U. Zülicke , Jens Bolte