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JOURNALS // Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Fiziko-Matematicheskie Nauki // Archive

Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Fiziko-Matematicheskie Nauki, 2011 Volume 153, Book 3, Pages 204–214 (Mi uzku1068)

Internal space-time symmetries according to Einstein, Wigner, Dirac, and Feynman

Y. S. Kima, M. E. Nozb

a Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
b Department of Radiology, New York University, New York, USA

Abstract: When Einstein formulated his special relativity in 1905, he established the law of Lorentz transformations for point particles. It is now known that particles have internal space-time structures. Particles, such as photons and electrons, have spin variables. Protons and other hadrons are regarded as bound states of more fundamental particles called quarks which have their internal variables. It is still one of the most outstanding problems whether these internal space-time variables are transformed according to Einstein's law of Lorentz transformations. It is noted that Wigner, Dirac, and Feynman made important contributions to this problem. By integrating their efforts, it is then shown possible to construct a picture of the internal space-time symmetry consistent with Einstein's Lorentz covariance.

Keywords: internal space-time symmetries, Wigner's little groups, Lorentz covariance, Lorentz squeeze, standing waves, bound states, harmonic oscillators.

UDC: 530.145

Received: 17.12.2010

Language: English



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