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Methodological notes


Quantization of the electromagnetic field


V.A. Fock Institute of Physics, St. Petersburg State University, ul. Ulyanovskaya 1, Petrodvorets, St. Petersburg, 198904, Russian Federation

The question of a canonical quantization of the electromagnetic field as a system with two primary constraints is analyzed. Attention is focused on the following aspects of the problem: 1) the conditions on physical states; 2) the ``old'' and ``new'' Gupta formalisms; 3) the interpretation of the operators $\hat\alpha_0$, $\hat\alpha_0^+$; 4) the vacuum in quantum electrodynamics. The starting point for the analysis is Dirac's quantization recipe for systems with constraints. It is shown that the Fermi formalism with a condition on the physical states is completely correct.

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Fulltext is also available at DOI: 10.1070/PU1988v031n02ABEH005699
PACS: 12.20.Ds, 11.10.Ef (all)
DOI: 10.1070/PU1988v031n02ABEH005699
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/1988/2/d/
Citation: Prokhorov L V "Quantization of the electromagnetic field" Sov. Phys. Usp. 31 151–162 (1988)
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Оригинал: Прохоров Л В «Квантование электромагнитного поля» УФН 154 299–320 (1988); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0154.198802f.0299

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