All corrections
Wikipedia May 4, 2026 at 05:09 AM

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirac_matter

1 correction found

1
Claim
{ γ μ , γ ν } = γ μ γ ν + γ ν γ μ = η μ ν I d .
Correction

The gamma-matrix anticommutation relation is missing a factor of 2. The standard Clifford algebra is {γ^μ,γ^ν} = 2η^μν I, not η^μν I.

Full reasoning

This equation is the defining Clifford-algebra relation for Dirac/gamma matrices, and the standard relation includes a factor of 2:

[
{\gamma^\mu,\gamma^\nu}=\gamma^\mu\gamma^\nu+\gamma^\nu\gamma^\mu = 2\eta^{\mu\nu} I.
]

Leaving out that factor changes the algebra itself. For example, with the usual Minkowski signature, the standard definition gives ((\gamma^0)^2=+I) and ((\gamma^i)^2=-I). The article's version would instead imply half those values, so it is not the standard Dirac/gamma-matrix relation used in relativistic quantum mechanics or condensed-matter Dirac Hamiltonians.

Multiple physics references state the defining relation with the factor of 2 explicitly.

2 sources
Model: OPENAI_GPT_5 Prompt: v1.16.0