Quantum connection, charges and virtual particles

TL;DR

This paper explores the geometric formulation of quantum mechanics using complex line bundles and connections, extending the Dirac equation to phase space to describe virtual particles and antiparticles outside the mass shell.

Contribution

It introduces a geometric framework with quantum line bundles and extends the Dirac equation to phase space, revealing solutions that describe virtual particles and their transition to free particles.

Findings

Extended Dirac equation on phase space admits oscillator solutions.

Solutions describe virtual particles and antiparticles outside the mass shell.

Transition to free particles via squeezed coherent states.

Abstract

Geometrically, quantum mechanics is defined by a complex line bundle $L_\hbar$ over the classical particle phase space $T^*{R}^3\cong{R}^6$ with coordinates $x^a$ and momenta $p_a$, $a,...=1,2,3$. This quantum bundle $L_\hbar$ is endowed with a connection $A_\hbar$, and its sections are standard wave functions $\psi$ obeying the Schr\"odinger equation. The components of covariant derivatives $\nabla_{A_\hbar}^{}$ in $L_\hbar$ are equivalent to operators ${\hat x}^a$ and ${\hat p}_a$. The bundle $L_\hbar=: L_{C}^+$ is associated with symmetry group U(1)$_\hbar$ and describes particles with quantum charge $q=1$ which is eigenvalue of the generator of the group U(1)$_\hbar$. The complex conjugate bundle $L^-_{C}:={\overline{L_{C}^+}}$ describes antiparticles with quantum charge $q=-1$. We will lift the bundles $L_{C}^\pm$ and connection $A_\hbar$ on them to the relativistic phase space $T^*{R}^{3,1}$ and couple them to the Dirac spinor bundle describing both particles and antiparticles. Free relativistic quarks and leptons are described by the Dirac equation on Minkowski space ${R}^{3,1}$. This equation does not contain interaction with the quantum connection $A_\hbar$ on bundles $L^\pm_{C}\to T^*{R}^{3,1}$ because $A_\hbar$ has non-vanishing components only along $p_a$-directions in $T^*{R}^{3,1}$. To enable the interaction of elementary fermions $\Psi$ with quantum connection $A_\hbar$ on $L_{C}^\pm$, we will extend the Dirac equation to the phase space while maintaining the condition that $\Psi$ depends only on $t$ and $x^a$. The extended equation has an infinite number of oscillator-type solutions with discrete energy values as well as wave packets of coherent states. We argue that all these normalized solutions describe virtual particles and antiparticles living outside the mass shell hyperboloid. The transition to free particles is possible through squeezed coherent states.