= Covariant photon Fock space
The covariant free-photon oscillator construction uses four <polarization vectors> and $[a^\lambda,a^{\lambda'\dagger}]=-\eta^{\lambda\lambda'}$. Starting from a positive <Fock vacuum>, it induces an <indefinite Hermitian form> on the multiparticle state space: the temporal oscillator has negative <norm> while the three spatial oscillators have positive <norm>. It is therefore not the physical positive <Hilbert space>. The <Gupta-Bleuler null-state quotient> selects a positive physical space with two transverse <photon polarizations>. Continuum <momentum> oscillators and their states are understood after smearing or finite-volume regularization.
Back to article page