A spin Hamiltonian for non-relativistic electrons and their interaction with an external field

Abstract

We investigate the spin of the electron in a non-relativistic context by using the Galilean covariant Pauli–Dirac equation. From a non-relativistic Lagrangian density, we find an appropriate Dirac-like Hamiltonian in the momentum representation, which includes the spin operator in the Galilean covariant framework. Within this formalism, we show that the total angular momentum appears as a constant of motion. Additionally, we propose a non-minimal coupling that describes the Galilean interaction between an electron and the electromagnetic field. Thereby, we obtain, in a natural way, the Hamiltonian including all the essential interaction terms for the electron in a general vector field.