Quantum field theory

Exercises 8. Solutions
2005-12-19

• Exercise 8.1.
Let us first obtain the zero momentum solution given in the problem. First, let us notice,
that any solution of Dirac equation also satisfies the Klein–Gordon equation, and thus should
have the form of plane waves with dispersion relation p2 = m2 . Really, if we act on the Dirac
equation by the conjugate operator, we get
0 = (−i∂/ − m)(i∂/ − m)ψ = (γ µ γ ν ∂µ ∂ν − m2 )ψ = (η µν ∂µ ∂ν − m2 )ψ = 0 ,
where we used the equation γ µ γ ν = η µν + iσ µν , and the fact that ∂µ ∂ν is symmetric.
So, generic solution of the Dirac equation should be the sum of the plane waves with all
possible p2 = m2 . For each momentum it is
µ
ψ(x) = u(p)e−ipµ x (1)
for so called positive energy part or
µ
ψ(x) = v(p)eipµ x
for negative energy part. The Dirac equation givus us further constraints on the spinors u(p)
and v(p).
Let us focus on the positive frequency part. Substituting (1) into the Dirac equation one
gets
( /p − m)u(p) = 0 .
In Weyl parametrisation of the gamma matrices, for pµ = (m,~0) this just leads to the require-
√ two components of u(p) are equal to the lower ones, uL = uR . The choice of
ment that upper
normalisation mξ , given in the problem, is arbitrary (for linear equation with zero right part
we can get a solution only up to the overall normalisation) and is a usual convention.
Let us now perform the boost with repidity η (along the z axis, for definiteness)
√
  3   
1 σ 0 ξ
u(p) = exp − η 3 m
2 0 −σ ξ
√
    3   
η 1 0 η σ 0 ξ
= cosh − sinh 3 m
2 0 1 2 0 −σ ξ
  3
  3
 
eη/2 1−σ + e−η/2 1+σ 0 √
 
2 2 ξ
=      m .
η/2 1+σ 3 −η/2 1−σ 3 ξ
0 e 2 +e 2

For rapidity one has the relations, following from Lorentz transformations,
p √ p √
eη/2 = E + p3 / m , e−η/2 = E − p3 / m .
This leads to the following result for a particle with positive energy moving along the z axis
 p ! 
E − p3 p 0
ξ
E + p3

 0 
u(p) =  p
! .
E + p3 p 0

 
3
ξ
0 E−p

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One can verify, that for general case it can be written in the form
p µ 
p σ µ ξ
u(p) = p µ ,
p σ̄µ ξ
where square root of the matrix is understood as rotating the matrix to the diagonal form, taking
square root of each of the eigenvalues, and then rotating it back.
A similar calculation for the negative energy solution leads to
p µ 
p σ µ ξ
v(p) = p ,
− pµ σ̄µ ξ

• Exercise 8.2.
Let us proove that trace of an odd number of gamma matrices γ µ is zero.
tr γ µ = tr(γ µ γ 5 γ 5 ) = − tr(γ 5 γ µ γ 5 ) = − tr(γ µ γ 5 γ 5 ) = − tr γ µ ,
where we used the fact γ 5 γ 5 = 1, then anticommuted γ µ with γ 5 , then used cyclic permutation
under the trace. So, the only possibility is tr γ µ = 0.
Absolutely analogous arguments works for any odd number of gamm matrices, because
after odd number of commutations with γ 5 wi get minus sign. That is tr γ µ γ ν γ λ = 0.
To calculate trace of two gamma matrices we do
tr γ µ γ ν = tr(2η µν 1 − γ ν γ µ ) = 2η µν tr(11) − tr(γ µ γ ν )
so, as far as in 4 dimensions tr 1 = 1,
tr γ µ γ ν = 4η µν .
For four gamma matrices
tr γ µ γ ν γ λ γ ρ = 2η µν tr γ λ γ ρ − tr γ ν γ µ γ λ γ ρ = 2η µν tr γ λ γ ρ − 2η µλ tr γ ν γ ρ + tr γ ν γ λ γ µ γ ρ
= 2η µν tr γ λ γ ρ − 2η µλ tr γ ν γ ρ + 2η µρ tr γ ν γ λ + tr γ ν γ λ γ ρ γ µ
= 8η µν η λ ρ − 8η µλ η νρ + 8η µρ η νλ + tr γ µ γ ν γ λ γ ρ

so, finally
tr γ µ γ ν γ λ γ ρ = 4(η µν η λ ρ − η µλ η νρ + η µρ η νλ )
For traces with γ 5 we can use the definition γ 5 = iγ 0 γ 1 γ 2 γ 3 . Then
tr γ µ γ ν γ 5 = i tr γ µ γ ν γ 0 γ 1 γ 2 γ 3 = 0 ,
because for µ = ν we just get tr γ 5 = 0, and for µ 6= µ we always get a trace of two different
gamma matrices, which is zero.
The last nontrivial trace is
tr(γ µ γ ν γ λ γ ρ γ 5 ) = −4iε µνλ ρ ,
because it is nonzero only for for different indices, antysimmetric under exchange of any two
gamma matrices, and thus should be proportional to the epsilon-symbol. And the overall coef-
ficient can be obtained just by calculating
i tr(γ 0 γ 1 γ 2 γ 3 γ 0 γ 1 γ 2 γ 3 ) = −i tr(γ 1 γ 2 γ 3 γ 1 γ 2 γ 3 ) = i tr(γ 2 γ 3 γ 2 γ 3 ) = i tr(γ 3 γ 3 ) = −i tr(11)

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• Exercise 8.3.
The two Lagrangians differ by a total derivative,

L 0 = L − (i/2)∂µ (ψ̄γ µ ψ) ,

so the lead to the same equations of motion for ψ and ψ̄. With L we find T µν = iψ̄γ µ ∂ ν ψ −
η µν L . Note, that if the fields satisfy the equations of motion, then L = 0, so we can write
T µν = iψ̄γ µ ∂ ν ψ. With L 0 we get T 0µν = T µν − (i/2)∂ ν j µ , where j µ = ψ̄γ µ ψ. Note, that
L 0 = 0 on the equations of motion also. The conservation law ∂µ T µν = 0 is not spoiled by this
term because ∂µ j µ = 0 (use Dirac equations again here).
The conserved energy-momentum Pν = d 3 xT ν0 changes by (−i/2) d 3 x∂ ν j0 . This is
R R

zero because, if ν is a spatial index it is a spatial derivative and the spatial integral vanishes,
assuming the fields decrease sufficiently fast at infinity. For ν = 0 we use ∂0 j0 = −∂i ji and
again get a spatial derivative. Therefore Pν = P0ν .

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