Beyond the Light-Cone Propagation of Relativistic Wavefunctions: Numerical Results

Autor: Xabier Gutierrez de la Cal, Alex Matzkin
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Dynamics, Vol 3, Iss 1, Pp 60-70 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2673-8716
DOI: 10.3390/dynamics3010005
Popis: It is known that relativistic wavefunctions formally propagate beyond the light cone when the propagator is limited to the positive energy sector. By construction, this is the case for solutions of the Salpeter (or relativistic Schrödinger) equation or for Klein–Gordon and Dirac wavefunctions defined in the Foldy–Wouthuysen representation. In this work, we quantitatively investigate the degree of non-causality for free propagation for different types of wavepackets that all initially have a compact spatial support. In the studied examples, we find that non-causality appears as a small transient effect that can in most cases be neglected. We display several numerical results and discuss the fundamental and practical consequences of our findings concerning this peculiar dynamical feature.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals