2ND-ORDER WAVE-EQUATION FOR SPIN-1/2 FIELDS - 8-SPINORS AND CANONICAL FORMULATION

The algebraic structure of the 8-spinor formalism is discussed, and the general form of the 8-component wave equation, equivalent to the second-order 4-component one, is presented. This allows a canonical formulation that will be the first stage of the future Clebsch parametrization, i.e., a relativistic generalization of the Bohm-Schiller-Tiomno pioneering work on the Pauli equation. © 1988 Plenum Publishing Corporation