Bosonic field
Encyclopedia
In quantum field theory
, a bosonic field is a quantum field whose quanta are boson
s; that is, they obey Bose-Einstein statistics. Bosonic fields obey canonical commutation relation
s, as distinct from the canonical anticommutation relations obeyed by fermionic fields.
Examples include scalar fields, describing spin 0 particles such as the Higgs boson
, and gauge fields, describing spin 1 particles such as the photon.
, which are characterized by their covariance
under Lorentz transformation
s and have spins 0, 1 and 2, respectively. Physical examples, in the same order, are the Higgs field, the photon field, and the graviton field. While the first one remains to be observed, it is widely believed to exist. Of the last two, only the photon field can be quantized using the conventional methods of canonical or path integral quantization. This has led to the theory of quantum electrodynamics, one of the most successful theories in physics. Quantization of gravity
, on the other hand, is a long standing problem that has led to development of theories such as string theory
and loop quantum gravity
.
implies that quantization of local, relativistic field theories in 3+1 dimensions may lead either to bosonic or fermionic quantum fields, i.e., fields obeying commutation or anti-commutation relations, according to whether they have integer
or half-integer
spin, respectively. Thus bosonic fields are one of the two theoretically possible types of quantum field, namely those corresponding to particles with integer spin.
In a non-relativistic many-body theory, the spin and the statistical properties of the quanta are not directly related. In fact, the commutation or anti-commutation relations are assumed based on whether the theory one intends to study corresponds to particles obeying Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac statistics. In this context the spin remains an internal quantum number that is only phenomenologically related to the statistical properties of the quanta. Examples of non-relativistic bosonic fields include those describing cold bosonic atoms, such as Helium-4.
Such non-relativistic fields are not as fundamental as their relativistic counterparts: they provide a convenient 're-packaging' of the many-body wave function describing the state of the system, whereas the relativistic fields described above are a necessary consequence of the consistent union of relativity and quantum mechanics.
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
, a bosonic field is a quantum field whose quanta are boson
Boson
In particle physics, bosons are subatomic particles that obey Bose–Einstein statistics. Several bosons can occupy the same quantum state. The word boson derives from the name of Satyendra Nath Bose....
s; that is, they obey Bose-Einstein statistics. Bosonic fields obey canonical commutation relation
Canonical commutation relation
In physics, the canonical commutation relation is the relation between canonical conjugate quantities , for example:[x,p_x] = i\hbar...
s, as distinct from the canonical anticommutation relations obeyed by fermionic fields.
Examples include scalar fields, describing spin 0 particles such as the Higgs boson
Higgs boson
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive elementary particle that is predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. Its existence is postulated as a means of resolving inconsistencies in the Standard Model...
, and gauge fields, describing spin 1 particles such as the photon.
Basic properties
Free (non-interacting) bosonic fields obey canonical commutation relations. Those relations also hold for interacting bosonic fields in the interaction picture, where the fields evolve in time as if free and the effects of the interaction are encoded in the evolution of the states. It is these commutation relations that imply Bose-Einstein statistics for the field quanta.Examples
Examples of bosonic fields include scalar fields, gauge fields, and symmetric 2-tensor fieldsTensor field
In mathematics, physics and engineering, a tensor field assigns a tensor to each point of a mathematical space . Tensor fields are used in differential geometry, algebraic geometry, general relativity, in the analysis of stress and strain in materials, and in numerous applications in the physical...
, which are characterized by their covariance
Covariance
In probability theory and statistics, covariance is a measure of how much two variables change together. Variance is a special case of the covariance when the two variables are identical.- Definition :...
under Lorentz transformation
Lorentz transformation
In physics, the Lorentz transformation or Lorentz-Fitzgerald transformation describes how, according to the theory of special relativity, two observers' varying measurements of space and time can be converted into each other's frames of reference. It is named after the Dutch physicist Hendrik...
s and have spins 0, 1 and 2, respectively. Physical examples, in the same order, are the Higgs field, the photon field, and the graviton field. While the first one remains to be observed, it is widely believed to exist. Of the last two, only the photon field can be quantized using the conventional methods of canonical or path integral quantization. This has led to the theory of quantum electrodynamics, one of the most successful theories in physics. Quantization of gravity
Quantum gravity
Quantum gravity is the field of theoretical physics which attempts to develop scientific models that unify quantum mechanics with general relativity...
, on the other hand, is a long standing problem that has led to development of theories such as string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
and loop quantum gravity
Loop quantum gravity
Loop quantum gravity , also known as loop gravity and quantum geometry, is a proposed quantum theory of spacetime which attempts to reconcile the theories of quantum mechanics and general relativity...
.
Spin and statistics
The spin-statistics theoremSpin-statistics theorem
In quantum mechanics, the spin-statistics theorem relates the spin of a particle to the particle statistics it obeys. The spin of a particle is its intrinsic angular momentum...
implies that quantization of local, relativistic field theories in 3+1 dimensions may lead either to bosonic or fermionic quantum fields, i.e., fields obeying commutation or anti-commutation relations, according to whether they have integer
Integer
The integers are formed by the natural numbers together with the negatives of the non-zero natural numbers .They are known as Positive and Negative Integers respectively...
or half-integer
Half-integer
In mathematics, a half-integer is a number of the formn + 1/2,where n is an integer. For example,are all half-integers. Note that a half of an integer is not always a half-integer: half of an even integer is an integer but not a half-integer...
spin, respectively. Thus bosonic fields are one of the two theoretically possible types of quantum field, namely those corresponding to particles with integer spin.
In a non-relativistic many-body theory, the spin and the statistical properties of the quanta are not directly related. In fact, the commutation or anti-commutation relations are assumed based on whether the theory one intends to study corresponds to particles obeying Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac statistics. In this context the spin remains an internal quantum number that is only phenomenologically related to the statistical properties of the quanta. Examples of non-relativistic bosonic fields include those describing cold bosonic atoms, such as Helium-4.
Such non-relativistic fields are not as fundamental as their relativistic counterparts: they provide a convenient 're-packaging' of the many-body wave function describing the state of the system, whereas the relativistic fields described above are a necessary consequence of the consistent union of relativity and quantum mechanics.