Tagged Questions

3
votes
2answers
200 views

Irreducible Representations Of Lorentz Group

In Weinberg's The Theory of Quantum Fields Volume 1, he considers classification one-particle states under inhomogeneous Lorentz group. My question only considers pages 62-64. He define states as ...
9
votes
4answers
297 views

Trace and adjoint representation of $SU(N)$

In the adjoint representation of $SU(N)$, the generators $t^a_G$ are chosen as $$ (t^a_G)_{bc}=-if^{abc} $$ The following identity can be found in Taizo Muta's book "Foundations of Quantum ...
3
votes
1answer
90 views

Supersymmetry and non-compact $R$-symmetry group?

The $R$-symmetry for $N$ supercharges is $U(N)$. Is it possible to generalize $R$-symmetry [let's take $U(4)$) to be something like $U(2,2)$ (maybe analogous to Wick rotation of $SO(3,1)$ to ...
6
votes
1answer
128 views

Are group representations possible when the solution space is not a vector space?

As far as I understand, the motivation for using representation theory in high energy physics is as follows. Assume that a theory has some (internal or external) symmetry group which acts on a vector ...
1
vote
1answer
114 views

Action of the Lorentz group on scalar fields

The Lorentz groups act on the scalar fields as: $\phi'(x)=\phi(\Lambda^{-1} x)$ The conditions for an action of a group on a set are that the identity does nothing and that $(g_1g_2)s=g_1(g_2s)$. ...
6
votes
1answer
144 views

Equivalent Representations of Clifford Algebra

I'm reviewing David Tong's excellent QFT lecture notes here and am a little confused by something he writes on page 94. We've considered the standard chiral representation of the Clifford Algebra, ...
4
votes
2answers
238 views

Number of Components of a Spinor

I'm trying to develop my understanding of spinors. In quantum field theory I've learned that a spinor is a 4 component complex vector field on Minkowski space which transforms under the chiral ...
3
votes
2answers
352 views

Lorentz transformations in Dirac equation

Let's denote a spinor $\xi$. If $(\theta ,\phi)$ are the parameters of a rotation and pure Lorentz transformation, then how $\xi$ could be written as $$\xi ~\rightarrow~ \exp\left(\ i ...
2
votes
1answer
98 views

Taylor series for unitary operator in Weinberg

On page 54 of Weinberg's QFT I, he says that an element $T(\theta)$ of a connected Lie group can be represented by a unitary operator $U(T(\theta))$ acting on the physical Hilbert space. Near the ...
4
votes
2answers
205 views

Calculating the commutator of Pauli-Lubanski operator and generators of Lorentz group

The Pauli-Lubanski operator is defined as $${W^\alpha } = \frac{1}{2}{\varepsilon ^{\alpha \beta \mu \nu }}{P_\beta}{M_{\mu \nu }},\qquad ({\varepsilon ^{0123}} = + 1,\;{\varepsilon _{0123}} = - ...
5
votes
2answers
373 views

Particle as a representation of the Lorentz group

In QFT one may refer to a particle as a representation of the Lorentz group (LG). More accurately - every particle is a quantum of some field $\phi(x)$ that belongs to some representation of the LG. I ...
3
votes
1answer
253 views

Does a spin-2 particle really return to its previous state after 180° rotation?

It is often claimed that spin-2 particles return to their previous state after $\pi$ rotation, just like spin-1/2 particles return after $4\pi$ rotation. But my calculation suggests otherwise. Let z ...
1
vote
1answer
481 views

Yukawa Coupling of a Scalar $SU(2)$ Triplet to a Left-Handed Fermionic $SU(2)$ Doublet

Suppose we have a field theory with a single complex scalar field $\phi$ and a single Dirac Fermion $\psi$, both massless. Let us write $\psi _L=\frac{1}{2}(1-\gamma ^5)\psi$. Then, the Yukawa ...
1
vote
1answer
96 views

One-Plaquette Action and SU(2)'s Irreducible Representations

I have a typical single-plaquette partition function for a gauge-field $$ Z=\int [d U_{\text{link}}] \exp[-\sum_{p} S_{p}(U,a)]$$ with $U$ as the product of the the $U$'s assigned to each link around ...
1
vote
0answers
40 views

How to obtain deconfined theory from an s-confined N=1 susy gauge theory?

Is there a systematic procedure for obtaining a deconfined theory from an s-confining theory (as defined in hep-th/9610139 for example)?
3
votes
1answer
710 views

How do I construct the $SU(2)$ representation of the Lorentz Group using $SU(2)\times SU(2)\sim SO(3,1)$ ?

This question is based on problem II.3.1 in Anthony Zee's book Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell (I'm reading this for fun- it isn't a homework problem.) Show, by explicit calculation, that ...
5
votes
2answers
185 views

If the S-matrix has symmetry group G, must the fields be representations of G?

If the fields in QFT are representations of the Poincare group (or generally speaking the symmetry group of interest), then I think it's a straight forward consequence that the matrix elements and ...
3
votes
2answers
243 views

A question from Weinberg QFT text

In page 71 Weinberg's QFT, $$A\Psi^{\theta }_{a,b} ~=~(a\cos{(\theta )}-b\sin{(\theta )})\Psi^{\theta }_{a,b}.$$ He says that massless particles represented by $\Psi ^{\theta }_{a,b}$ are not ...
5
votes
1answer
216 views

Identification of the state of particle types with representations of Poincare group

In the second chapter of the first volume of his books on QFT, Weinberg writes in the last paragraph of page 63: In general, it may be possible by using suitable linear combinations of the ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views

Charge of a field under the action of a group

What does it mean for a field (say, $\phi$) to have a charge (say, $Q$) under the action of a group (say, $U(1)$)?
7
votes
0answers
304 views

Wick rotation and spinors

I am quite familiar with use of Wick rotations in QFT, but one thing annoys me: let's say we perform it for treating more conveniently (ie. making converge) a functional integral containing spinors; ...
7
votes
1answer
557 views

Representation of the Galileo Group and Central Charges

I've arrived at this question because I've been reading Weinberg's Quantum Theory of Fields Volume I, and I'm in the second chapter about relativistic quantum mechanics. Weinberg discusses the ...
6
votes
1answer
400 views

Modes of a QFT and irreducible representation of the gauge group

This is in reference to the calculation in section 3.3 starting page 20 of this paper. I came across an argument which seems to say that the "constraint of Gauss's law" enforces gauge theory on ...