Consistent Theories of Free Dirac Particle without Singular Predictions

Abstract

Dirac’s theory is not the unique theory consistent with the physical principles specific of a free spin-one-half particle. In fact, we derive classes of theories of an elementary free particle from the principle of Poincaré’s invariance and from the principle of the covariance of the position. The theory of Dirac is just one of these theories, characterized by singular predictions, namely, the zitterbewegung. Yet, the class here derived contains families of consistent theories without singular predictions. For the time being, the experimental verifiability of these alternative theories is restricted to the predictions of free-particle theories for ideal experiments.