Relativistic electron wave packets carrying angular momentum
Iwo Bialynicki-Birula, Zofia Bialynicka-Birula
TL;DR
This paper introduces analytic solutions to the Dirac equation that accurately describe relativistic electron beams with angular momentum, highlighting differences from nonrelativistic models.
Contribution
It presents new analytic wave packet solutions of the Dirac equation for relativistic electrons with angular momentum, addressing limitations of nonrelativistic descriptions.
Findings
Analytic solutions of the Dirac equation for electron wave packets with angular momentum.
Relativistic electron beams cannot be fully described by the orbital angular momentum quantum number.
The proposed wave packets provide a better understanding of relativistic electron beam properties.
Abstract
There are important differences between the nonrelativistic and relativistic description of electron beams. The orbital angular momentum quantum number cannot be used to specify the wave functions in the relativistic case. In this Letter we introduce analytic solutions of the Dirac equation in the form of exponential wave packets and we argue that they properly describe relativistic electron beams carrying angular momentum.
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