Non-relativistic limit of Klein Gordon field

In summary, the analogous limit of a quantum Klein-Gordon field is complicated by the non-commutativity of the field operator. In the limit v ≪ c, the creation and annihilation operators decouple and behave as independent quantum Schrödinger fields.
  • #1
dRic2
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TL;DR Summary
Non-relativistic limit of Klein Gordon field (not the equation).
From Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klein%E2%80%93Gordon_equation said:
The analogous limit of a quantum Klein-Gordon field is complicated by the non-commutativity of the field operator. In the limit v ≪ c, the creation and annihilation operators decouple and behave as independent quantum Schrödinger fields.

Which should be conceptually similar of what happen in the non-relativistic limit of the Dirac equations when you see that the solutions decouple.

Do you have any reference that I can look up where the derivation for the KG field is performed?

Thanks in advance!
 
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  • #2
That quote from wikipedia doesn't make sense to me. How can the creation and annihilation operators "decouple"? They're hermitian conjugates of each other, not two independent variables linked by dynamics. From what I've seen taking the non-relativisitic limit for the KG field simply involves taking the ##\mathbf{k} \rightarrow 0## limit.

In any case I don't you think you can truly recover the Schrodinger field from the KG field since the latter is quantized as a physical observable right from the beginning while the former is not observable.
 
  • #3
HomogenousCow said:
That quote from wikipedia doesn't make sense to me. How can the creation and annihilation operators "decouple"?
The KG filed ##\phi## can be decomposed in positive and negative energies field ##\phi^+## and ##\phi^-##, and in the KG Lagrangian there are mixed term like ##\bar \phi \phi = \phi^+\phi^+ + \phi^+\phi^- + ...## I think they mean that, in the non relativistic limit, your KG filed will "become" a new field ##\psi## which can not be decomposed in positive/negative energies fields, and so the ##\bar \phi \phi## term will become simply ##\bar \psi \psi##. Now ##\bar \psi \neq \psi##, as opposed to the KG field that satisfies ##\bar \phi = \phi##. In this limit we should also recover particle number conservation. This new field ##\psi## should be what they call the Schrodinger field.

This is how I understood after researching a little bit on the internet, but maybe it's wrong. I don't know QFT... I was just curious about this
 

FAQ: Non-relativistic limit of Klein Gordon field

What is the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field?

The non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field is a mathematical approximation of the Klein Gordon equation in which the speed of light is assumed to be infinitely large, resulting in a non-relativistic form of the equation. This limit is useful for studying the behavior of particles at low speeds, such as in quantum mechanics.

How is the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field derived?

The non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field is derived by taking the limit as the speed of light, c, approaches infinity in the Klein Gordon equation. This leads to the elimination of terms containing c and results in a simpler, non-relativistic form of the equation.

What are the applications of the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field?

The non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field has various applications in quantum mechanics, particularly in the study of particles at low speeds. It is also used in condensed matter physics and nuclear physics to model the behavior of particles in these systems.

Can the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field be used for all particles?

No, the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field is only applicable to particles with zero or integer spin. It cannot be used for particles with half-integer spin, such as electrons, as they require a relativistic treatment.

How does the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field differ from the classical limit?

The non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field is a quantum mechanical approximation, while the classical limit is a classical approximation. In the classical limit, the behavior of particles is described by classical mechanics, while in the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field, the behavior is described by quantum mechanics. Additionally, the classical limit assumes that the particles have definite positions and momentums, while the non-relativistic limit of the Klein Gordon field takes into account the uncertainty principle.

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