Massless fields with half-integral spin

Journal Article · Tue Nov 14 23:00:00 EST 1978 · Phys. Rev., D; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.18.3630· OSTI ID:6499771

Fang, J; Fronsdal, C

The Fierz-Pauli Lagrangian for massive particles with spin s = n + 1/2, n integer, is examined in the limit of vanishing mass. A considerable simplification occurs. The potential h is a Rarita-Schwinger spinor-tensor of tensorial rank n. The ''spinor-trace'' h', defined by h/sup prime//sub nulambda.../ equivalent ..gamma../sup ..mu../h/sub munulambda.../ does not vanish, and neither does h'' equivalent (h') '; but h''' does vanish. The wave equation admits a gauge group, h ..-->.. h + sym grad xi, with xi' = 0. The most interesting feature is that the source t need not be divergence free, only the traceless part of p/sup ..mu../t/sub munu.../ must vanish. This weaker condition on t turns out to be sufficient to guarantee that only helicities +- s are transmitted between sources.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90024
• OSTI ID: 6499771
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev., D; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev., D; (United States) Vol. 18:10; ISSN PRVDA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EQUATIONS
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
HELICITY
LAGRANGIAN FUNCTION
LIE GROUPS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
PARTICLE PROPERTIES
POINCARE GROUPS
RARITA-SCHWINGER THEORY
SPIN
SPINORS
SYMMETRY GROUPS
TENSOR FORCES
WAVE EQUATIONS