Dirac–Kähler particle in Riemann spherical space: boson interpretation

Abstract

In the context of the composite boson interpretation, we construct the exact general solution of the Dirac–Kähler equation for the case of the spherical Riemann space of constant positive curvature, for which due to the geometry itself one may expect to have a discrete energy spectrum. In the case of the minimum value of the total angular momentum, j = 0, the radial equations are reduced to second-order ordinary differential equations, which are straightforwardly solved in terms of the hypergeometric functions. For nonzero values of the total angular momentum, however, the radial equations are reduced to a pair of complicated fourth-order differential equations. Employing the factorization approach, we derive the general solution of these equations involving four independent fundamental solutions written in terms of combinations of the hypergeometric functions. The corresponding discrete energy spectrum is then determined via termination of the involved hypergeometric series, resulting in quasi-polynomial wave-functions. The constructed solutions lead to notable observations when comparing with those for the ordinary Dirac particle. The energy spectrum for the Dirac–Kähler particle in spherical space is much more complicated. Its structure substantially differs from the one for the Dirac particle because it consists of two energy level series in parallel, each of which is twice degenerate. Besides, none of the two separate series coincides with the series for the Dirac particle. Thus, the Dirac–Kähler field cannot be interpreted as a system of four Dirac fermions. Additional arguments supporting this conclusion are discussed.