Paper detail

Relativistic spin operator must be intrinsic

Although there are many proposals of relativistic spin observables, there is no agreement about the adequate definition of this quantity. This problem arises from the fact that, in the present literature, there is no consensus concerning the set of properties that such an operator should satisfy. Here we present how to overcome this problem by imposing a condition that everyone should agree about the nature of the relativistic spin observable: it must be intrinsic. The intrinsicality concept is analyzed in the relativistic classical limit and then it is extended to the quantum regime, the spin problem being treated in the context of the irreducible unitary representations of the Poincaré group. This approach rules out three-vector proposals of relativistic spin observable and leads to a unique satisfactory spin definition that, besides being intrinsic, also possesses interesting physical features such as covariance and consistency of predictions in the non relativistic limit. To support the presented results from an operational perspective, a consistent observer-independent model for the electromagnetic-spin interaction is also presented.