A tensor interpretation of the 2D Dirac equation

Abstract

We consider the Dirac equation in flat Minkowski 3-space and rewrite it as the Maxwell equation in Minkowski 4-space with torsion. The torsion tensor is defined as the dual of the electromagnetic vector potential. Our model clearly distinguishes the electron and the positron without resorting to "negative frequencies": we produce a real scalar invariant (charge) which indicates whether we are looking at an electron or a positron. Another interesting feature of our model is that the free electron and positron are identified with gradient type solutions of the standard (torsion free) Maxwell equation; such solutions have traditionally been disregarded on the grounds of gauge invariance.