"derived by British physicist Paul Dirac"
Develops quantum mechanics in special relativity, including the Dirac equation and spinors.
Special Relativity: The theory of Special Relativity is the basis of Relativistic Quantum Mechanics. It deals with the behavior of objects in motion and how they are affected by time dilation and length contraction.
Quantum Mechanics: The principles of Quantum Mechanics provide the framework for understanding how particles interact with each other and how their properties are measured.
Quantum Field Theory: This theory provides a framework for describing the behavior of particles in terms of fields, which are mathematical constructs that describe the properties of particles.
Spin and Angular Momentum: Spin and angular momentum are important concepts in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, as they describe the intrinsic properties of particles.
Feynman Diagrams: Feynman diagrams are graphical representations of particle interactions, and are used extensively in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics.
Gauge Theories: Gauge theories are used to describe the behavior of particles that interact with each other through electromagnetic, weak, or strong forces.
Renormalization: Renormalization is the process of removing divergences in calculations of particle interactions, and is an important concept in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics.
Symmetry and Symmetry Breaking: Symmetry and symmetry breaking play an important role in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, as they describe the properties and behavior of particles and fields.
Quantum Electrodynamics: Quantum Electrodynamics is a branch of Relativistic Quantum Mechanics that deals specifically with the interaction of particles with electromagnetic fields.
Quantum Chromodynamics: Quantum Chromodynamics is a branch of Relativistic Quantum Mechanics that deals specifically with the interaction of particles with the strong nuclear force.
Electroweak Theory: Electroweak theory is a branch of Relativistic Quantum Mechanics that deals specifically with the interaction of particles with both the electromagnetic and weak nuclear forces.
Higgs Boson: The Higgs boson is an important particle in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, as it is responsible for giving particles mass through the Higgs mechanism.
Loop Quantum Gravity: Loop Quantum Gravity is a theory that attempts to combine Relativistic Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity into a single theory of quantum gravity.
String Theory: String theory is a theory that attempts to describe the behavior of particles in terms of one-dimensional objects called strings.
Black Holes: Black holes are exotic objects in space that are formed when a massive star collapses under gravity, and they play an important role in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics.
Standard Model: The Standard Model of particle physics is a Quantum Field Theory that describes three out of four fundamental forces of nature: Electromagnetic, Strong, and Weak.
Quantum Chromodynamics: QCD is a part of the Standard Model and deals with the strong nuclear force that binds quarks to form protons and neutrons.
Electroweak theory: The Electroweak theory describes the unified theory of electromagnetic and weak interactions between elementary particles.
Supersymmetry: Supersymmetry is an extension of the Standard Model in which every particle has a supersymmetric partner, a "superparticle.".
Quantum Field Theory in Curved Spacetime: It describes the behavior of quantum fields in the presence of a curved geometry such as that of a gravity well.
String Theory: String theory is a theoretical framework in which the fundamental building blocks of the universe are not particles, but rather strings or other extended objects.
"in 1928"
"describes all spin-1⁄2 massive particles, called 'Dirac particles', such as electrons and quarks"
"for which parity is a symmetry"
"consistent with both the principles of quantum mechanics and the theory of special relativity"
"It was validated by accounting for the fine structure of the hydrogen spectrum in a completely rigorous way."
"The equation also implied the existence of a new form of matter, antimatter, previously unsuspected and unobserved"
"provided a theoretical justification for the introduction of several component wave functions in Pauli's phenomenological theory of spin"
"vectors of four complex numbers (known as bispinors)"
"in the limit of zero mass, the Dirac equation reduces to the Weyl equation"
"represents one of the great triumphs of theoretical physics"
"described as fully on a par with the works of Newton, Maxwell, and Einstein before him"
"The Dirac equation is reinterpreted to describe quantum fields corresponding to spin-1⁄2 particles."
"The Dirac equation is inscribed upon a plaque on the floor of Westminster Abbey."
"Unveiled on 13 November 1995"
"commemorates Paul Dirac's life"
"In its free form, or including electromagnetic interactions"
"implied the existence of a new form of matter, antimatter"
"experimentally confirmed several years later"
"the first theory to account fully for special relativity in the context of quantum mechanics"