Relativistic Quantum Mechanics
Special relativity can be combined with quantum theory to form relativistic quantum mechanics. It is an unsolved question how general relativity and quantum mechanics can be unified; quantum gravitation is an active area in theoretical research.
The early Bohr-Sommerfeld atomic model explained the fine structure of alkaline atoms by using both special relativity and the preliminary knowledge on quantum mechanics of the time.
Paul Dirac developed a relativistic wave equation now known as the Dirac equation in his honour, fully compatible both with special relativity and with the final version of quantum theory existing after 1926. This theory explained not only the intrinsic angular momentum of the electrons called spin, a property which can only be stated, but not explained by non-relativistic quantum mechanics, and led to the prediction of the antiparticle of the electron, the positron. Also the fine structure could only be fully explained with special relativity.
On the other hand, the existence of antiparticles leads to the conclusion that a naive unification of quantum mechanics (as originally formulated by Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg, and many others) with special relativity is not possible. Instead, a theory of quantized fields is necessary; where particles can be created and destroyed throughout space, as in quantum electrodynamics and quantum chromodynamics. These elements merge in the standard model of particle physics.
Read more about this topic: Special Relativity
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