Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-particle-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2019/5/b/solution
Past exam of the particle physics course of the University of Oxford 2019 5 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
With the gamma matrices derived in a, the momentum-space Dirac equation readsFor a positive-energy particle at rest, and , so . The Dirac adjoint in this basis is , and the specified normalization givesTherefore, for any normalized two-component spinor ,Equivalently, choosing and gives the two independent rest-frame spin states. A strictly massless particle has no rest frame; this step requires .
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