Second order differential realization of the Bargmann-Wigner framework for particles of any spin

TL;DR

This paper introduces a second order differential approach within the Bargmann-Wigner framework for particles of any spin, simplifying high order equations to enable consistent gauging and avoid unphysical issues.

Contribution

It proposes replacing high order Bargmann-Wigner equations with a second order scheme using a Lorentz group Casimir invariant-based projector.

Findings

The new projector is of zeroth order in derivatives.

The scheme allows consistent minimal gauging.

It isolates the (j,0)+(0,j) sector without external reference.

Abstract

The Bargmann-Wigner (BW) framework describes particles of spin-j in terms of Dirac spinors of rank 2j, obtained as the local direct product of n Dirac spinor copies, with n=2j. Such spinors are reducible, and contain also (j,0)+(0,j)-pure spin representation spaces. The 2(2j+1) degrees of freedom of the latter are identified by a projector given by the n-fold direct product of the covariant parity projector within the Dirac spinor space. Considering totally symmetric tensor spinors one is left with the expected number of 2(2j+1) independent degrees of freedom. The BW projector is of the order $\partial ^{2j}$ in the derivatives, and so are the related spin-j wave equations and associated Lagrangians. High order differential equations can not be consistently gauged, and allow several unphysical aspects, such as non-locality, acausality, ghosts and etc to enter the theory. In order to avoid these difficulties we here suggest a strategy of replacing the high order of the BW wave equations by the universal second order. To do so we replaced the BW projector by one of zeroth order in the derivatives. We built it up from one of the Casimir invariants of the Lorentz group when exclusively acting on spaces of internal spin degrees of freedom. This projector allows one to identify anyone of the irreducible sectors of the primordial rank-2j spinor, in particular (j,0)+(0,j), and without any reference to the external space-time and the four-momentum. The dynamics is then introduced by requiring the (j,0)+ (0,j) sector to satisfy the Klein-Gordon equation. The scheme allows for a consistent minimal gauging.