Comparison of Different Boost Transformations for the Calculation of Form Factors in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

Abstract

The effect of different boost expressions, pertinent to the instant, front and point forms of relativistic quantum mechanics, is considered for the calculation of the ground-state form factor of a two-body system in simple scalar models. Results with a Galilean boost as well as an explicitly covariant calculation based on the Bethe-Salpeter approach are given for comparison. It is found that the present so-called point-form calculations of form factors strongly deviate from all the other ones. This suggests that the formalism which underlies them requires further elaboration. A proposition in this sense is made.

Invited talk given at the 18th European Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics, Bled, Slovenia, 8-14 Sep 2002. Submitted to Few Body Syst.Suppl