Nodal theorems for the Dirac equation in d >= 1 dimensions

Abstract

A single particle obeys the Dirac equation in $d\ge 1$ spatial dimensions and is bound by an attractive central monotone potential that vanishes at infinity. In one dimension, the potential is even, and monotone for $x\ge 0.$ The asymptotic behavior of the wave functions near the origin and at infinity are discussed. Nodal theorems are proven for the cases $d=1$ and $d>1$, which specify the relationship between the numbers of nodes $n_1$ and $n_2$ in the upper and lower components of the Dirac spinor. For $d=1$, $n_2=n_1+1,$ whereas for $d>1,$ $n_2=n_1+1$ if $k_d>0,$ and $n_2=n_1$ if $k_d<0,$ where $k_d=\tau (j+\frac{d-2}{2}),$ and $\tau =\pm 1.$ This work generalizes the classic results of Rose and Newton in 1951 for the case $d=3.$ Specific examples are presented with graphs, including Dirac spinor orbits $({\psi }_1(r),{\psi }_2(r)),r\ge 0.$

10 pages, 10 figures

References in corpus (3)

• Special comparison theorem for the Dirac equation
• su(1,1) Algebraic approach of the Dirac equation with Coulomb-type scalar and vector potentials in D + 1 dimensions
• Dirac eigenvalues for a softcore Coulomb potential in d dimensions

Cited by in corpus (3)

• mudirac: a Dirac equation solver for elemental analysis with muonic X-rays
• Exact solution of the 1D Dirac equation for the inverse-square-root potential $1/\sqrt{x}$
• Refined comparison theorems for the Dirac equation in d dimensions