Relativistic quantum mechanics. (Q5902348)

This book addresses undergraduate and graduate physics students, as well as young scientists in physics and applied mathematics who are interested in the theory of relativistic quantum mechanics in the `narrow sense' and its connections to quantum field theories. The notions presented in the book are clearly arranged and each section contains a short summary and exercises with solutions. Important equations and relationships are summarized in boxes to allow the reader a well-structured understanding and easy reference. The book is divided into three chapters and an appendix. The first chapter presents the Klein-Gordon theory for the relativistic description of spin-0 particles. The focus lies on the possibilities and limits of its one-particle interpretation in the usual non-relativistic quantum mechanical sense. In the second chapter it is emphasized the Dirac theory for the relativistic description of spin-\(1/2\) particles. Both theories allow for a very direct one-to-one comparison of their properties. The third chapter contains a description of the relativistic scattering processes within the framework of the Dirac and, later on, Klein-Gordon theory. In analogy to non-relativistic quantum mechanics, relativistic propagator techniques are developed and considered together with the well-known concepts of scattering amplitudes and cross sections. Considering concrete scattering processes to lowest orders, the Feynman rules are developed putting all necessary calculations onto a common ground and formalizing them graphically. The appendix contains a short compilation of important formulae and concepts. As the author says, ``this book helps to bridge over the gap between non-relativistic quantum mechanics and modern quantum field theories, and explains comprehensibly the necessity for quantized fields by exposing relativistic quantum mechanics `in the narrow sense'\,''.