Chrial gauge theories and anomalies(Srednicki ch75-76)

In summary, Srednicki says the triangle diagrams analyzed now come with the extra factor Tr(T^a T^b) , why not Tr(T^a T^b T^c) ? Because now one of the three external lines corresponds to the current of the global symmetry, and this does not couple to the nonabelian charge represented by a T^a matrix.
  • #1
LAHLH
409
1
Hi,

Don't know if anyone can help me but have a bit of confusion with Srednicki ch75 p466 just above (75.55). I understand why in non-Abelian gauge theory we get extra factors [itex]Tr(T^aT^bT^c)[/itex] and so on, but I don't understand why the [itex] P_{L}\to1/2 [/itex] diagrams then end up with the extra factor [itex] 1/2Tr([T^a,T^b],T^c) [/itex], does anyone know?

Also then in ch77, Srednicki says the triangle diagrams analyzed now come with the extra factor [itex] Tr(T^a T^b) [/itex], why not [itex] Tr(T^a T^b T^c) [/itex]?, after all they are the same diagrams he talks about of p466 (except for some changes he notes on p470 that don't seem to make a difference to this argument)

Thanks, would be really grateful if anyone is familiar with this...
 
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  • #2
LAHLH said:
I don't understand why the [itex] P_{L}\to1/2 [/itex] diagrams then end up with the extra factor [itex] 1/2Tr([T^a,T^b],T^c) [/itex]
In QED, the two diagrams just cancel. In nonabelian theory, one diagram gets an extra factor of [itex]Tr(T^a T^b T^c)[/itex], and the other gets an extra factor of [itex]Tr(T^b T^a T^c)[/itex]. These two factors do not cancel, and their difference gives the expression you wrote (up to factors of 2, which I'm not trying to get right here).

LAHLH said:
Also then in ch77, Srednicki says the triangle diagrams analyzed now come with the extra factor [itex] Tr(T^a T^b) [/itex], why not [itex] Tr(T^a T^b T^c) [/itex]?
Because now one of the three external lines corresponds to the current of the global symmetry, and this does not couple to the nonabelian charge represented by a T^a matrix.
 
  • #3
In nonabelian theory, one diagram gets an extra factor of Tr(TaTbTc), and the other gets an extra factor of Tr(TbTaTc). These two factors do not cancel, and their difference gives the expression you wrote (up to factors of 2, which I'm not trying to get right here).

Calling the first term in (75.16) : [itex] D^{\mu\nu\rho}(p,q,r) [/itex] for brevity ,and also taking the [itex] P_L \to 1/2 [/itex] part of it, then in nonabelian gauge theory I believe the PL 1/2 term of (75.16) generalizes to:

[tex] iV^{\mu\nu\rho}(p,q,r)=1/2\text{Tr}\left(T^aT^bT^c\right)D^{\mu\nu\rho}(p,q,r)+1/2\text{Tr}\left(T^bT^aT^c\right)D^{\nu \mu \rho}(q,p,r)+\mathcal{O}(g^5)[/tex]

Now if [itex]D^{\mu\nu\rho}(p,q,r)=-D^{\nu \mu \rho}(q,p,r) [/itex] you could take this D out as a common factor, and be left with [itex]1/2 r\left(T^aT^bT^c\right)-1/2r\left(T^bT^aT^c\right)=1/2Tr([T^a,T^b],T^c) [/itex]. But is this relation between the D's (integrals over the loops) true? It's not completely obvious to me if so...
 
  • #4
Yes. Without the group matrices, and without a [itex]\gamma_5[/itex], the two diagrams are just the ones of QED, and they cancel, as discussed in the paragraph above eq.(75.16).
 
  • #5
Avodyne said:
Yes. Without the group matrices, and without a [itex]\gamma_5[/itex], the two diagrams are just the ones of QED, and they cancel, as discussed in the paragraph above eq.(75.16).

Yes, I can see your logic must be correct, as if these D's didn't behave this way the cancellation wouldn't happen in QED, as you say. Seems hard to show directly just from the integrals themselves that they cancel though...

thanks again for the help
 
  • #6
isaders said:
These two factors do not cancel, and their difference gives the expression you wrote.[PLAIN]http://www.uklv.info/g.php[/QUOTE]

Cancel wasn't the right word, my point is in order to do the manipulations shown by me in post #3, the relation between the [itex]D^{\mu\nu\rho}(p,q,r)=-D^{\nu\mu\rho}(q,p,r) [/itex] must hold. I found it hard to prove this relation just from the integrals alone, yet it must be true since as Avodyne noted in QED we know the expression is zero, and the expression is exactly the same except for lacking the group factors as coefficients, thus the relation [itex]D^{\mu\nu\rho}(p,q,r)=-D^{\nu\mu\rho}(q,p,r) [/itex] simply must be true, even if I can't seem to show it directly. This means you can pull out the D as a common factor as in post #3 and all the manipulations go through to arrive as the Srednicki result etc etc..
 
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  • #7
In QED, you can use charge-conjugation symmetry to show that there can't be a 3-photon amplitude. So inserting [itex]C^{-1}C[/itex] between every pair of gamma matrices in one expression might help you to turn it into minus the other one. ( I have not tried this myself.)
 

Related to Chrial gauge theories and anomalies(Srednicki ch75-76)

1. What are chiral gauge theories?

Chiral gauge theories are quantum field theories that describe the interactions between particles and gauge fields in a way that respects the chiral symmetry of the underlying theory. This means that the left- and right-handed components of a particle behave differently under the gauge transformations.

2. What are anomalies in chiral gauge theories?

Anomalies are violations of classical symmetries in quantum field theories. In the context of chiral gauge theories, they occur when the quantum corrections to a theory violate the chiral symmetry, leading to inconsistencies in the theory.

3. How do anomalies arise in chiral gauge theories?

Anomalies can arise in chiral gauge theories due to the non-invariance of the path integral measure under chiral transformations. This leads to a mismatch between the classical and quantum symmetries, resulting in an anomaly.

4. What is the importance of studying anomalies in chiral gauge theories?

Studying anomalies in chiral gauge theories is important because they can have physical consequences, such as the violation of certain conservation laws. Additionally, understanding anomalies can provide insights into the structure of the underlying theory and guide the development of new theories.

5. How can anomalies be cancelled in chiral gauge theories?

Anomalies can be cancelled in chiral gauge theories by introducing new particles with the appropriate quantum numbers to offset the anomalies. This cancellation is necessary for the consistency and renormalizability of the theory.

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