Theory Of Spinors An Introduction

Spinors are used extensively in physics. It is widely accepted that they are more fundamental than tensors, and the easy way to see this is through the results obtained in general relativity theory by using spinors — results that could not have been obtained by using tensor methods only.The foundation of the concept of spinors is groups; spinors appear as representations of groups. This textbook expounds the relationship between spinors and representations of groups. As is well known, spinors and representations are both widely used in the theory of elementary particles.The authors present the origin of spinors from representation theory, but nevertheless apply the theory of spinors to general relativity theory, and part of the book is devoted to curved space-time applications.Based on lectures given at Ben Gurion University, this textbook is intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics and mathematics, as well as being a reference for researchers.

Describes orthgonal and related Lie groups, using real or complex parameters and indefinite metrics. Develops theory of spinors by giving a purely geometric definition of these mathematical entities.

Evolving from graduate lectures given in London and Oxford, this introduction to twistor theory and modern geometrical approaches to space-time structure will provide graduate students with the basics of twistor theory, presupposing some knowledge of special relativity and differenttial geometry.

There is now a greater range of mathematics used in theoretical physics than ever. The aim of this book is to introduce theoretical physicists, of graduate student level upwards, to the methods of differential geometry and Clifford algebras in classical field theory. Recent developments in particle physics have elevated the notion of spinor fields to considerable prominence, so that many new ideas require considerable knowledge of their properties and expertise in their manipulation. It is also widely appreciated now that differential geometry has an important role to play in unification schemes which include gravity. All the important prerequisite results of group theory, linear algebra, real and complex vector spaces are discussed. Spinors are approached from the viewpoint of Clifford algebras. This gives a systematic way of studying their properties in all dimensions and signatures. Importance is also placed on making contact with the traditional component oriented approach. The basic ideas of differential geometry are introduced emphasising tensor, rather than component, methods. Spinor fields are introduced naturally in the context of Clifford bundles. Spinor field equations on manifolds are introduced together with the global implications their solutions have on the underlying geometry. Many mathematical concepts are illustrated using field theoretical descriptions of the Maxwell, Dirac and Rarita-Schwinger equations, their symmetries and couplings to Einsteinian gravity. The core of the book contains material which is applicable to physics. After a discussion of the Newtonian dynamics of particles, the importance of Lorentzian geometry is motivated by Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism. A description of gravitation is motivated by Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism. A description of gravitation in terms of the curvature of a pseudo-Riemannian spacetime is used to incorporate gravitational interactions into the language of classical field theory. This book will be of great interest to postgraduate students in theoretical physics, and to mathematicians interested in applications of differential geometry in physics.

This book deals with 2-spinors in general relativity, beginning by developing spinors in a geometrical way rather than using representation theory, which can be a little abstract. This gives the reader greater physical intuition into the way in which spinors behave. The book concentrates on the algebra and calculus of spinors connected with curved space-time. Many of the well-known tensor fields in general relativity are shown to have spinor counterparts. An analysis of the Lanczos spinor concludes the book, and some of the techniques so far encountered are applied to this. Exercises play an important role throughout and are given at the end of each chapter.

This work is unique compared to the existing literature. It is very didactical and accessible to both students and researchers, without neglecting the formal character and the deep algebraic completeness of the topic along with its physical applications.

This book contains a systematic exposition of the theory of spinors in finite-dimensional Euclidean and Riemannian spaces. The applications of spinors in field theory and relativistic mechanics of continuous media are considered. The main mathematical part is connected with the study of invariant algebraic and geometric relations between spinors and tensors. The theory of spinors and the methods of the tensor representation of spinors and spinor equations are thoroughly expounded in four-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces. Very useful and important relations are derived that express the derivatives of the spinor fields in terms of the derivatives of various tensor fields. The problems associated with an invariant description of spinors as objects that do not depend on the choice of a coordinate system are addressed in detail. As an application, the author considers an invariant tensor formulation of certain classes of differential spinor equations containing, in particular, the most important spinor equations of field theory and quantum mechanics. Exact solutions of the Einstein–Dirac equations, nonlinear Heisenberg’s spinor equations, and equations for relativistic spin fluids are given. The book presents a large body of factual material and is suited for use as a handbook. It is intended for specialists in theoretical physics, as well as for students and post-graduate students of physical and mathematical specialties.

Invented by Dirac in creating his relativistic quantum theory of the electron, spinors are important in quantum theory, relativity, nuclear physics, atomic and molecular physics, and condensed matter physics. Essentially, they are the mathematical entities that correspond to electrons in the same way that ordinary wave functions correspond to classical particles. Because of their relations to the rotation group SO(n) and the unitary group SU(n), this discussion will be of interest to applied mathematicians as well as physicists.

An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory is a textbook intended for the graduate physics course covering relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum electrodynamics, and Feynman diagrams. The authors make these subjects accessible through carefully worked examples illustrating the technical aspects of the subject, and intuitive explanations of what is going on behind the mathematics. After presenting the basics of quantum electrodynamics, the authors discuss the theory of renormalization and its relation to statistical mechanics, and introduce the renormalization group. This discussion sets the stage for a discussion of the physical principles that underlie the fundamental interactions of elementary particle physics and their description by gauge field theories.

This mathematically rigorous treatment examines Zeeman's characterization of the causal automorphisms of Minkowski spacetime and the Penrose theorem concerning the apparent shape of a relativistically moving sphere. Other topics include the construction of a geometric theory of the electromagnetic field; an in-depth introduction to the theory of spinors; and a classification of electromagnetic fields in both tensor and spinor form. Appendixes introduce a topology for Minkowski spacetime and discuss Dirac's famous "Scissors Problem." Appropriate for graduate-level courses, this text presumes only a knowledge of linear algebra and elementary point-set topology. 1992 edition. 43 figures.