Relativistic kinetic theory for spin-1/2 particles: Conservation laws, thermodynamics, and linear waves

Abstract

We study a recently derived fully relativistic kinetic model for spin-1/2 particles. First, the full set of conservation laws for energy, momentum, and angular momentum are given together with an expression for the (nonsymmetric) stress-energy tensor. Next, the thermodynamic equilibrium distribution is given in different limiting cases. Furthermore, we address the analytical complexity that arises when the spin and momentum eigenfunctions are coupled in linear theory by calculating the linear dispersion relation for such a case. Finally, we discuss the model and give some context by comparing with potentially relevant phenomena that are not included, such as radiation reaction and vacuum polarization.