Photon wave function and Zitterbewegung

Zhi-Yong Wang, Cai-Dong Xiong, and Qi Qiu
Phys. Rev. A 80, 032118 – Published 25 September 2009

Abstract

In terms of a photon wave function corresponding to the (1,0)+(0,1) representation of the Lorentz group, the radiation and Coulomb fields within a source-free region can be described unitedly by a Lorentz-covariant Dirac-like equation. In our formalism, the relation between the positive- and negative-energy solutions of the Dirac-like equation corresponds to the duality between the electric and magnetic fields, rather than to the usual particle-antiparticle symmetry. The Zitterbewegung (ZB) of photons is studied via the momentum vector of the electromagnetic field, which shows that only in the presence of virtual longitudinal and scalar photons, the ZB motion of photons can occur, and its vector property is described by the polarization vectors of the electromagnetic field.

  • Received 15 May 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.80.032118

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Zhi-Yong Wang, Cai-Dong Xiong, and Qi Qiu

  • School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China

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Issue

Vol. 80, Iss. 3 — September 2009

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