On the group-theoretical approach to relativistic wave equations for arbitrary spin

Abstract

Formulating a relativistic equation for particles with arbitrary spin remains an open challenge in theoretical physics. In this study, the main algebraic approaches used to generalize the Dirac and Kemmer–Duffin equations for arbitrary-spin particles are investigated. It is proved that an irreducible relativistic equation formulated using spin matrices satisfying the commutation relations of the anti-de Sitter group leads to inconsistent results, mainly as a consequence of the violation of unitarity and the appearance of a mass spectrum that does not reflect the physical reality of elementary particles. However, the introduction of subsidiary conditions resolves the problem of unitarity and restores the physical meaning of the mass spectrum. The equations obtained by these approaches are solved and the physical nature of the solutions is discussed.