Abstract

The helicity of a free massless relativistic particle, χo=s.p/∣p∣χ^o={\bf s}.{\bf p}/|{\bf p}|, is generalized, for a particle in an electromagnetic field, to χ=s.p/Eχ={\bf s}.{\bf p}/{\cal E}, where E{\cal E} is the modified kinetic energy. Both χoχ^o and χχ coincide and are conserved for minimal coupling (gyromagnetic ratio g=0g=0) but are different and neither of them is conserved when the coupling is non-minimal, g≠0g\neq0, generating non-zero effective mass. For a chiral particle with g=2g=2 in a constant electric field both helicities converge asymptotically to the same value. Helicity is also conserved for minimal gravitational coupling.

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