Abstract
The problem of the correct form of the electromagnetic current operator is considered when the Schrödinger equation has a nonlocal potential. By looking at the mesonic origin of exchange potentials, and assuming the mesons are ‘minimally’ coupled to the electromagnetic field, it is concluded that the minimal prescription for the nonlocal potential is generally wrong. Doing nothing about the momentum dependence of the potential corresponds to choosing a ‘maximal’ current; this violates the soft photon theorem but is gauge invariant. The correct current to associate with the exchange of a charged scalar meson is written down, and it is intermediate between the minimal and maximal choices. The implications for nucleon-nucleon bremsstrahlung calculations are discussed.
Work supported by the United States Atomic Energy Commission.
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References
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© 1972 Plenum Press, New York
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Heller, L. (1972). Some Basic Questions in Nucleon-Nucleon Bremsstrahlung. In: Austin, S.M., Crawley, G.M. (eds) The Two-Body Force in Nuclei. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8337-6_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8337-6_9
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