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Dirac operator
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Mathematics/pxTouaz4">mathematics</a> and in <a href="/facts/Quantum_mechanics/BRc3Mzgr">quantum mechanics</a>, a Dirac operator is a first-order <a href="/facts/Differential_operator/Nr15J0IE">differential operator</a> that is a formal square root, or <a href="/facts/Half-iterate/C3qCTVCw">half-iterate</a>, of a second-order differential operator such as a <a href="/facts/Laplacian/kov9u3PT">Laplacian</a>. It was introduced in 1847 by <a href="/facts/William_Rowan_Hamilton/U86CqUlt">William Hamilton</a> and in 1928 by <a href="/facts/Paul_Dirac/6bt5yRdk">Paul Dirac</a>. The question which concerned Dirac was to factorise formally the <a href="/facts/Laplace_operator/kov9u3PT">Laplace operator</a> of the <a href="/facts/Minkowski_space/vDkfkQJn">Minkowski space</a>, to get an equation for the <a href="/facts/Wave_function/KgM5ykjY">wave function</a> which would be compatible with <a href="/facts/Special_relativity/vsFFc63E">special relativity</a>. </p>