Feynman's Relativistic Chessboard as an Ising Model
Abstract
Feynman has described a chessboard model for a one-dimensional relativistic quantum problem which yields the correct kernel for a free spin-1/2 particle moving in one spatial dimension. This chessboard problem can be solved as an Ising model, using the transfer matrix technique of statistical mechanics. The 2×2 transfer matrix represents the infinitesimal time evolution operator for the two eigenstates of the velocity operator.
- Publication:
-
International Journal of Theoretical Physics
- Pub Date:
- July 1981
- DOI:
- 10.1007/BF00669436
- Bibcode:
- 1981IJTP...20..491G