Abstract
The limitations to the concept of parity of quantum-mechanical states and, in particular, of intrinsic parity of elementary particles are discussed. These limitations are shown to follow from “superselection rules,” i.e., from restrictions on the nature and scope of possible measurements. The existence of such super-selection rules is proved for the case of spinor fields; it is also conjectured that a superselection rule operates between states of different total charge.
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Reference
C. N. Yang and J. Tiomno, Phys. Rev. 79, 495 (1950); see also E. R. Caianiello, Nuovo cimento 7, 534 (1951); 8, 749 (1951); 9, 336 (1952).
For this concept see J. v. Neumann, Mathematische Grundlagen der Quantenmechanik (Verlag. Julius Springer, Berlin, 1932 ), Chap. IV.
See E. Wigner, Nachr. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen, p. 546 (1932).
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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Wick, G.C., Wightman, A.S., Wigner, E.P. (1997). The Intrinsic Parity of Elementary Particles. In: Wightman, A.S. (eds) Part I: Particles and Fields. Part II: Foundations of Quantum Mechanics. The Scientific Papers, vol A / 3. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-09203-3_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-09203-3_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-08179-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-09203-3
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