3.6 Discrete Symmetries of the Dirac Theory 69 Using the notation of Eq. (3.137), we define the time reversal transforma- tion of fermion annihilation operators as follows: TasT=a%, THT =, (3.138) (An additional overall phase would have no effect on the rest of our discussion and is omitted for simplicity.) Relations (3.138) allow us to compute the action of T on the fermion field pe Tu(t,x)T = Is Te vam Te us(p)eP? + + bite (pe )T a eS re oP +3 [wre wn a aE, | — ~8t 8/5). tPlt,—%) + Uptters pe PO) = (-7' b(t»). (3.139) In the last step we used p- (t, -x) = —p- (—t,x). Just as for parity, we have derived a simple transformation law for the fermion field ¢(a). The relative minus sign in the transformation laws for particle and antiparticle is present here as well, implicit in the twice-flipped spinor in v°. Now we can check the action of T on the various bilinears. First we need TOL = (LUT) = v(t) [-17}'7° = 8-4 [y'y"]- (8.140) Then the transformation of the scalar bilinear is THY, OT = By Y)(-7' P)w(-t.x) = +00(-t, x). (3.141) The pseudo-scalar acquires an extra minus sign when T goes through the i: TW PYT = -WY P)Y(-1' Yd = -ib PP U(-4,»). For the vector, we must separately compute each of the four cases p = 0,1, 2, 3. After a bit of work you should find Toye = Br PO") (1b — f+dr'd(-t,x) for w= 0; 7 { tt W(—t.x) for w= 1,23. (3.142) This is exactly the tranformation property we want for vectors such as the current density. You can verify that the pseudo-vector transforms in exactly the same way under time-reversal.