On explanation of negative energy states and electron pair creation

Dirac's theory of the electron predicted that there were identical
particles of equal mass but of negative energy.

He appealed to the Pauli exclusion principle and proposed that there
was a negative energy 'sea' of electrons that was full up to -2mc^2 in
order to answer critics that positive energy electrons described by the
Dirac electron theory would simply decay down to -infinity.
With this description pair creation is described by absortion of a
photon (where the energy of the photon E_p > 2mc^2) by a negative
energy electron that scatters up to a poitive energy state leaving
behind a hole.

This hole is the negative energy 'sea' has equal but opposite charge to
the electron and is commonly known as a positron.

I belive that this description is somewhat old hat and not used anymore
in modern QFT circles. Can anybody give me a not too technical
explanation to why the 'old hat' qualitative explanation is
unsatisfactory ?

Zak

.

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