Solve for the exact levels of the Dirac particle in a uniform magnetic field

1
0 0 2

( ) B k B yi xj

= = B A .
Consult exercise 12.3.8, and write the equation for _ .

Preliminaries: Dirac equation, in which the final step is made because { , } o | - , definition of momentumt in
terms of canonical momentum P, the property derived in the previous exercise, a formla from QM 08, p. 384,
un-numbered, the matrix representation of { , } o | , and the Dirac equation in this representation,

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
[ ( ) ( ) ] [ ( ) ] [ ( ) ] ;
; ( )( ) ( ) ( ) ;
; ; ; ;
q q
t i c c
q q
c c
c mc q c mc q c mc q
m
| | o | |
t t t o o o
_ o _
o | _
_ o
+

= + + c = H + + = - + +
= = - - - + -
( ( ( (

( ( ( (
u

p A i I p A I
v P A i B A B A B I i A B
O I O
O O I
H
2
; ( ) ( ) E mc c | o t
+

u
(
u = -
(
u

I
[I.1]

We can expand out the Dirac equation into a 2x2 matrix representation,

2 2
charge
conjugation???
2 2
0 0
( ) ( )
0 0
E mc E mc
c c
E mc E mc
_ _
o t o t
_ _
+ + + +

u u ( ( + ( ( ( (
= - = -
( ( ( ( ( (
u u +

[I.2]

One can square over electron space and positron space (note, the operator o rotates between these spaces),

( )
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
[( ) ( ) ] ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
e e
E mc E mc c E mc c _ o t o t _ o t
+
+ u = - - u = - I I I [I.3]

We encounter the square of t o - , which we handle with QM 08, p. 384, shown in [I.1],

2 2 2
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ( ) { , }) ( ) ; { , }
q q q
c c c
t o t t t t o o - = - + - = + + - = - + - I i P A P A I i i B P A P A A P [I.4]

We then have, for the electron _ , the spinor-Hamiltonian. Note that for
1
0 2

( ) B yi xj

= A we have
0
0 2
([ ] [ ])
B
x y x y z
P y P x yP xP B L

- + - = + = P A A P , which immediately makes life easy for us,

( )
2 2
0 0
2
2 2 4 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 2 4
1
( ( ) { , }) ( ) ( ( ) )
q B B q q q q q
x y z z c c c c c
c
E m c P P x y L B
c
_ o o = + + - = + + + +
i
P A i P A I B I [I.5]

317 - pr 12.3.8 - landau levels and the 2D SHO: we have seen this Hamiltonian before. A summary of the
results from 12.3.8, we have,

( ) ( )
2
2 2 2 2
1 1
0 0 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1
( , , , ) ( ) ( ) ( , ) , ;
2 2 2
, , ( ( , ) ) , (( ) ( ) ( )( )) , ( 1 )
qB qB
x y x y SHO z c c
z
P
H P P X Y P Y P X Q H Q P H L
E n m H n m H L k m n m n m E n m
e e e

e e e e e
= + + = + = =
' ' ' = = = + + = +
[I.6]

our math up until this point thinks our SHO is one-dimensional (except for the
1 1
2 2
+ brought out by the
1
2
( , ) H e --we need to tell our math here that we have two ground-state degrees of freedom). However, recall
from problem 12.3.7, the treatment of the 2D isotropic SHO, the math though the same way, until we thought
about the angular degeneracy, which told us 2 n k m = + , where the m came from the angular solution.
Making this replacement , we immediately conclude
1 1 1
2 2 2
( ) E k m m e ' = + + .

This motivates rewriting [I.5] in a convenient form,

( ) ( ) ( )
2 2
0 0
2
2 2 2 2
2 2 4
4 1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2 2
( ) ( )
1
2 2
q B B q
c x y z z
c
z
P P x y L
E m c H S k m m
c
o
_ _ e _ e _

+ + + +
' = = + + [I.7]

Including the rest-energy in the energy levels [I.7], we get,

( )
2 2 4
1 1 1 1
2 2 2 2
2 E c k m m m c e = + + + [I.8]
Solve for the exact levels of the Dirac particle in a uniform magnetic field
1
0 0 2

( ) B k B yi xj

= = B A .
Consult exercise 12.3.8, and write the equation for _ .

Preliminaries: Dirac equation, in which the final step is made because { , } o | - , definition of

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
[ ( ) ( ) ] [ ( ) ] [ ( ) ] ;
; ( )( ) ( ) ( ) ;
q q
t i c c
q q
c c
c mc q c mc q c mc q
m
| | o | |
t t t o o o
= + + c = H + + = - + +
= = - - - + -
p A i p A
v P A i B A B A B I i A B
H
[I.9]

Ok, rewriting the Dirac equation as
2
( ) [ ( )]
q
t c
mc q c | | o c = - i p A , in which , _ = u , we expand
into 2x2 matrices of operators and spinors/antispinors,

2
2
2
2
2
( )

( ( ))
( )
qc
i i x y c q
c qc
i i x y c
q mc
cp y x
c yi xj
cp y x
q mc
_ |_ _
o o o _
o o
o o o
|

( (
(
= - - = (
(
(
u
( u u+ u


i
O
p
O
i
[I.10]

The two equations that result from this [I.10] are the coupled,

2
2
2
2
( ( ) )
( ( ) )
q
x y i i
q
x y i i
q mc y x cp
q mc y x cp
_ |_ _ o o o
| o o o _
( = + u
(
(
u u + u = +

i
i
[I.11]