https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-026-00120-6
Regular Article
From hole theory to quantum field theory: relativistic fermions and the role of Ettore Majorana (1933–1937)
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, INFN, L’Aquila, Italy
a
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Received:
27
June
2025
Accepted:
28
March
2026
Published online:
20
April
2026
Abstract
Between 1933 and 1937, the treatment of relativistic spin-½ particles, initially rooted in hole theory, evolved into the modern framework of quantum field theory. This paper reconstructs the crucial stages of that transition by examining the formal and physical progress of the numerous authors who shaped the field’s modern formalism. This historical study traces the development of fermionic field theory in full, beginning with the foundational work of the 1920s, focussing on the results of the 1930s, and concluding with the influential synthesis of Wolfgang Pauli in 1941, the content of which has shaped the subsequent tradition. Within this framework, particular emphasis is given to Ettore Majorana’s 1937 quantisation procedure and argument for anti-commuting fermionic quantum fields. This study demonstrates that Majorana’s work was not merely a technical variant, but the definitive rejection of the concept of negative energy solutions, whose conceptual clarity and educational value remain vital today.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, SIF and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
