Biquaternionic Dirac Equation Predicts Zero Mass for Majorana Fermions

A biquaternionic version of the Dirac Equation is introduced, with a procedure for converting four-component spinors to elements of the Pauli algebra. In this version, mass appears as a coefficient between the 4-gradient of a spinor and its image under an outer automorphism of the Pauli algebra. The...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Avraham Nofech
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-07-01
Series:Symmetry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/12/7/1144
Description
Summary:A biquaternionic version of the Dirac Equation is introduced, with a procedure for converting four-component spinors to elements of the Pauli algebra. In this version, mass appears as a coefficient between the 4-gradient of a spinor and its image under an outer automorphism of the Pauli algebra. The charge conjugation operator takes a particulary simple form in this formulation and switches the sign of the mass coefficient, so that for a solution invariant under charge conjugation the mass has to equal zero. The multiple of the charge conjugation operator by the imaginary unit turns out to be a complex Lorentz transformation. It commutes with the outer automorphism, while the charge conjugation operator itself anticommutes with it, providing a second more algebraic proof of the main theorem. Considering the Majorana equation, it is shown that non-zero mass of its solution is imaginary.
ISSN:2073-8994