PHY424/Assignment 03

Date: September 21, 2017

Due: September 29, 2017 (in class)

Problem 1. The charge conjugated Dirac spinor of ψ(x) is defined as ψc (x) = γ 0 Cψ ∗ (x) where
C = iγ 2 γ 0 . Show that ψ c (x)γ µ ψc (x) = ψ(x)γ µ ψ(x).

Problem 2. Starting from a Dirac spinor ψ(x) which has four momentum p = (p0 , p) and spin
s = (s0 , s), show that

(i) under the space inversion p → −p, s → s and

(ii) under the time reversal p → −p, s → −s.

Problem 3. Using the expressions

r
d3 p d3 p
Z Z
1 ip·x † −ip·x

ωp ip·x † −ip·x


φ(x) = p a p e + a p e and π(x) = −i ap e − a p e
(2π)3 2ωp (2π)3 2

show that the total Hamiltonian for a free Klein-Gordon field is

d3 p
Z  
† 1 †
H= ωp ap ap + [ap , ap ]
(2π)3 2

Problem 4. Evaluate the integral

Z
1 0
dp0 e−ip t
p2 −m2

for t > 0 and t < 0. Here p2 = pµ pµ .

Problem 5. If DR (x − y) = θ(x0 − y 0 )h0|[φ(x), φ(y)]|0i then show that

(∂µ ∂ µ + m2 )DR (x − y) = −iδ (4) (x − y)