The Coupling of a Dirac Field to a Kemmer Field

Abstract

A method is given whereby a Dirac field can be so coupled to a Kemmer field as to reproduce any of the invariant coupling terms "permitted" in the usual wave formulation of meson theory. This is done independently of any statement of connection of the Kemmer wave function with the wave functions of the wave formulation. A special reducible representation of the Kemmer matrices is employed which permits the theory to be developed along lines closely analogous to the Dirac theory. As a single illustration of the utility of the theory, the nuclear forces are calculated to lowest nonvanishing order.