Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Dhaka

M.S. Final Examination-2021

Course Title: Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and QED; Course No: TPG-555
Total Marks: 70; Total Time: 4 hours

ANSWER ANY 5 (FIVE) OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1. (a) Write down the Maxwell equations of classical electromagnetism. Why and how was Ampere’s law
modified by Maxwell?

(b) Show that the rate of decrease of charge in any arbitrary volume is due precisely and only to the flux
of current out of it’s surface; that is, no net charge can be created or destroyed in that volume. Also
explain why electric charge must be locally conserved.

(c) Define the 3-vector potential A and the scalar potential V in terms of the electric field E and magnetic
field B. Show that two of the Maxwell’s equations (Faraday’s law and the law that states that there are
no magnetic charges) are automatically satisfied with these definitions .

(d) What do you understand by gauge invariance in the context of classical electromagnetism? Write down
the gauge transformations on the 3-vector potential and the scalar potential. Show that, both E and B
remains unchanged by these transformations. Construct the 4-vector potential and show that the above
transformations can be written compactly in a manifestly Lorentz covariant form. Similarly construct
µ
the 4-current jem in terms of the charge density ρem and 3-current density jem and write down the
continuity equation in a manifestly Lorentz covariant form.

(e) Define the electromagnetic field strength tensor. Write down Gauss’s law and Ampere’s law (two of the
Maxwell’s equations) in a manifestly Lorentz covariant form in terms of the field strength tensor and
show that this is invariant under the gauge transformation.

(f) The classical Hamiltonian for a non-relativistic particle of charge q moving with velocity v under the
influence of both electric and magnetic fields is
1
H= (p − qA)2 + qV.
2m
Write down the Schrodinger equation for such a particle. Show that this is invariant under the local
gauge transformations on the 3-vector and scalar potentials as well as the wavefunction.

[2.5+2+2+5+1.5+1=14]

2. (a) Write down Einstein’s equation relating a particle’s energy, rest-mass and momentum. Construct the
relativistic Hamiltonian from that relation by taking the positive square root of the appropriate term.
Expand this Hamiltonian in inverse powers of the speed of light and show that,
H=the rest energy of the particle+the non-relativistic free particle energy+higher order relativistic
corrections.

(b) Now, from the relativistic Hamiltonian that you have constructed above by taking the positive square
root of the appropriate term, write down the ”relativistic” Schrodinger equation. What is the problem
with this equation: is it really consistent with relativity? If or if not–explain why? Suppose, you are
given the value of the wave-function at two spatial points at a given time. Can you solve the equation?
If or if not–explain why? If both your answers are negative–how do you alleviate these problems and
what ”relativistic” Schrodinger equation takes them into account?

(c) If the co-ordinates xµ represent an inertial reference frame, then so do any other co-ordinates x̄µ that
are related by x̄µ = Λµν xν + aν , where Λµν is a Lorentz transformation matrix and aµ is a translation
vector. Furthermore Λµν must obey
gµν Λµν Λνσ = gρσλ (1)

Show that (1) ensures that the interval between two space-time points that are labeled by xµ and x′µ
in one inertial frame and by x̄µ and x̄′µ in another, is the same.

(d) Acting on a momentum eigenstate, the Dirac Hamiltonian becomes the matrix cα · p + mc2 β ; where
the α’s and β obey
{αj , αk }ab = 2δ jk δab

1
 {αj , β}ab = 0
(β 2 )ab = δab
(i) By evaluating the trace of H, argue that there is no ground state.

(ii) What is the minimum size of the Dirac matrices α and β and why?

(e) Show that the probability 4-current j µ for the Dirac equation satisfies the continuity equation; where

j µ = ψ † , ψ † α1 ψ, ψ † α2 ψ, ψ † α3 ψ . You must derive the continuity equation for the Dirac equation before

showing that.

[3+3+2+(1.5+1.5)+3=14]

3. (a) Consider a Lagrangian for two free fields ϕ1 and ϕ2 having the same mass M :
1 1 1 1
L = ∂µ ϕ1 ∂ µ ϕ1 − M 2 ϕ21 + ∂µ ϕ2 ∂ µ ϕ2 − M 2 ϕ22
2 2 2 2
′ ′ ′ ′
Show that, L(ϕ1 , ϕ2 ) = L(ϕ1 , ϕ2 ) where, ϕ1 = cos αϕ1 − sin αϕ2 and ϕ2 = sin αϕ1 +
cosαϕ2

(b) Considering the infinitesimal version of the above transformations show that the associated symmetry
current or the Noether current given by the 4-vector

Nϕµ = ϕ1 ∂ µ ϕ2 − ϕ2 ∂ µ ϕ1

is conserved.

(c) Show that the volume integral of the zeroth component of Nϕµ is a constant in time.

(d) Now, regard the field operators ϕ̂1 and ϕ̂2 as components of a single complex field operator
1
ϕ̂ = √ (ϕ̂1 − iϕ̂2 )
2
1
ϕ̂† = √ (ϕ̂1 + iϕ̂1 )
2
The plane-wave expansions for ϕ̂ is given by
d3 k
Z h i
ϕ̂† = √ â(k)e−ik.x + b̂(k)† (k)eik.x
(2π)3 2ω
where,
1
â(k) = √ (â1 − iâ2 )
2
1
b̂† (k) = √ (â†1 − iâ†2 )
2
and ω = (M 2 + k 2 )1/2 . The operators â, ↠, b̂, b̂† obey the commutation relations
h ′
i ′
â(k), ↠(k ) = (2π)3 δ 3 (k − k )
h ′
i ′
b̂(k), b̂† (k ) = (2π)3 δ 3 (k − k )
with all others vanishing.

(i) Write down the Lagrangian operator in terms of the complex field operators ϕ̂ and ϕ̂† .

(ii) Find the normal ordered Hamiltonian operator in terms of the creation and annihilation operators.

(iii)Find the normal ordered Noether current operator in terms of the creation and annihilation operators.

(iv) Using the above form interpret the operators â, ↠, b̂, b̂† as well as N̂ϕ .

[4+4+2+(1+1+1+1)=14]

4. (a) For a real scalar field, define the Feynman propagator and give its physical significance.

(b) Prove that the Feynman propagator is a Green function of the Klein-Gordon operator.

(c) Show that the Feynman propagator for a real scalar field of mass m can be expressed as:

d4 k
Z  
′ i ′
∆F (x − x ) = 4 2 2
e−ik·(x−x ) ,
(2π) k − m + iϵ
where ϵ is infinitesimally small but positive.

2
 [3+4+7=14]

5. (a) Consider the Lagrangian density of the Maxwell field

1
L = − ∂µ Aν ∂ µ Aν
2

Show that the canonical equal time commutation relations for the quantum field Aµ (x) are:
h ′
i ′
Aµ (x), Πν (x ) = iδµν δ(⃗x − ⃗x )

where Πν (x) = −∂0 Aν (x).

(b) From the Heisenberg equation of motion for Aµ (x), show that:
d3 k 
Z 
−ikx † ikx
Aµ (x) = a µ (k)e + a µ (k)e
(2π)3 2ω
where ω = |⃗k| and k = (ω, ⃗k).

You may assume the following commutation relations:

′ ′ ′ ′
[aµ (k), a†ν (k )] = −gµν (2π)3 2ωδ(⃗k − ⃗k ), [a(k), a(k )] = [a† (k), a† (k )] = 0

(c) Given that there exists a vacuum state, |0 >, such that

aµ (k)|0 >= 0

explain how the Gupta-Bleuler method incorporates the Lorentz gauge condition.

(d) What are the resulting conditions on the state |k, ϵ >= ϵµ a†µ (k)|0 >? What are the allowed solutions
for the polarisation vector ϵµ ?

(e) Among the solutions identify the longitudinal and transverse polarisations. Explain why longitudinal
photons correspond to states of zero norm and why the transverse photons represent the true physical
states.

[3+2+3+(1+1)+(2+1+1)=14]

6. (a) Write down the Lagrangian of Quantum Electrodynamics, explain each term and show that it’s local
gauge invariant.

(b) From the anticommutation relations of the creation and annihilation operators corresponding to the
quantized Dirac fields, show that it is impossible to have two quanta of the Dirac field in the same state.

(c) From the Dirac Lagrangian LD = iψ † ψ̇ + iψ † α.∇ψ − mψ † βψ using the Legendre transform prescription
show that the Dirac Hamiltonian density is given by HD = ψ † α. − i∇ψ + mψ † βψ.

(d) A constant overall change in phase between the components of a wavefunction entailed by a symmetry
in Quantum Mechanics is what we call global phase invariance when this leads to no observable effects.
Briefly explain this through an example of particles diffracted by a two-slit system.
¯
(e) Draw Feynman diagrams for possible basic ”vertices” associated with the interaction density eψ̂γ µ ψ̂ µ .
Explain-why none of these elementary ’vertex’ processes can occur as a real physical process.

[5+2+3+2+2=14]

7. In both the interaction picture and the Heisenberg picture operators evolve with time. One has

∂t OI = i[H0I , OI ], ∂t OH = i[HH , OH ]

where where in the interaction picture, OI is the operator and H0I is the free Hamiltonian, while in the
Heisenberg picture, OH is the operator and HH is the total Hamiltonian.

(a) What are the corresponding equations for the evolution of states |ψ(t) >H and |ψ(t) >I , in the Heisen-
berg and interaction pictures, respectively?

(b) Comment briefly on why the interaction picture is useful in perturbation theory.

(c) Show that the time evolution operators given by:

OH (t) = eiHH (t−t0 ) OH (t0 )e−iHH (t−t0 )

OI (t) = eiH0I (t−t0 ) OI (t0 )e−iH0I (t−t0 )

explicitly satisfy the equations of motion given above.

3
 (d) Let the operators in the two pictures be related by

OI (t) = U (t, t0 )OH (t)U −1 (t, t0 )

where U (t0 , t0 ) = I. Find an expression for U (t, t0 ) using the above forms of the time evolution
operators.

(e) Show that the operator U (t, t0 ) satisfies

∂t U (t, t0 ) = −iHint,I U

where Hint,I is the interaction Hamiltonian in the interaction picture.

(f) Define the time-ordered product T (Hint,I (t1 )Hint,I (t2 )). As an expansion in Hint,I , show explicitly that
Z t
U (t, t0 ) = I − i dt1 Hint,I (t1 ) (2)
t0
Z tZ t
2
+(−i) dt1 dt2 T (Hint,I (t1 )Hint,I (t2 ))
t0 t0

is a solution of U (t, t0 ) to second order in Hint,I .

[2+1+2+3+6=14]

8. (a) Obtain the free particle solution of the Dirac equation.

(b) What would be the form of the solutions of the Dirac equation if the fermions were massless?

(c) Discuss the free-particle Foldy-Wouthuysen (FW) transformation and obtain the transformed Dirac
Hamiltonian density using this.

[8+2+4=14]