Bradley j.

nartowt; quantum field theory; matchev; Friday, September 21, 2012; assignment 4
d
Consider the field theory of a complex-valued scalar field with Lagrangian density,

* 2 *
( )( ) ; m

= L (1.1)
(a) It is easiest to analyze the theory by treating and
*
rather than
1
Re and
2
Im as the dynamical
variables. Show that the Euler-Lagrange equation of motion for
*
, is the Klein-Gordon equation. Trivially,

* *
. . * * 2 * 2
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
D C
m m

= = = = = = L L L L (1.2)

(b) Justify the procedure in (a) by working in terms of
1 2
, : rewrite L in terms of
1 2
, . Using the identity and
its dual Re Im Im Re z z z z z z + + i i , we get the Lagrangian density,

2 2 2 2 2 2
1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 2
( [ ])( [ ]) [ ][ ] ( ) ( ) ( ) ( 0)
( ) ( ) (0) ( ) ( )( ) ( )( ) ( )
m m
m m






= + + = + + +
= + + + = + +
i i i i i
i
L
(1.3)

derive the corresponding Euler-Lagrange equations and show that they are equivalent to (1.2). finding the
Euler-Lagrange equations for
1
and
2
i , adding and subtracting each, and identifying
*
1 2
( , ) = i ,

1 2
1 2
2 2 2
1 1 2 2 1 2 1 2
2 2( ) ( ) 0 ( ) 2 2( ) [ ] ( ) m m m






= = = = = i i i i L L L L (1.4)

(c) Introduce the conjugate momenta
*
* *

= = L L


and derive the Hamiltonian density,

2
* * * 2 * * * * 2 *
* * 2 *
( )( ) m m
m

= = + = + +
= + +

H L

(1.5)

(d) Decompose the scalar field into Fourier modes using the Heisenberg picture of [2.47].

( ) ( )
*
3 3
. . *
3 3
. . * * 0 2 2
1 1
[2.47] ( , ) ( , );
(2 ) (2 ) 2 2
; ;
p x p x p x p x
D C
D C
d p d p
t a e b e a e b e t
E E
p E m







= + + =
= = = = +

i i i i
p p p p
p p
p
x x
p L L


(1.6)

Heisenberg picture: compute equation of motion using the commutators (1.11) (proved later!), we get just a
tautology (albeit: verification) of the canonical momenta
*
* *

= = L L


identified above (1.5).
Computing both i

and
*

(a simple iteration of the former),

( )
( )
( )
3 3 * 3 * *
3 3 * 2 * 3 * 2 *
* 2 * 2 *
[ , ] [ , ] ( )[ ( ), ( )] 0 0 ( ) ( ) ( )
[ , ] [ , ] 0 [ ( ), ] [ ( ), ]( ( ))
( ) ( )
H d x d x d x
H d x d x m d x m
d m



= = + + = =
= = + + = +
= + =

i x x x x i x x i x
i x x i x x
i x i
H
H

. .
2 * 2 * * 2 * * 2
D C
m m m = = = i i i

(1.7)

We wound up with the Klein-Gordon equation as the Hamiltonian equation of motion.

Contrasting Heisenberg picture to Schrdinger picture: Note that
*
is basically an ansatz for the
Klein-Gordon equation (1.2); testing this ansatz using the derivative
2 2
0
( )
p x p x
e p e



=
i i
i p p , we get a
tautology of the mass-shell relation ([3+1]-D dispersion),

( )
3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 3
1
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
(2 ) 2
p x p x
d p
a p e b p e p m p m
E

= + = = =

i i
p p
p
i p i p p p (1.8)

Thus: (1.7) and (1.8) are equivalent, as they should be when interactions are not present!

Then use
* *
=

to compute ( , ) t x . Using the derivative
p x p x
d
dt
e E e



=
i i
p
i , we compute
*

,

( ) ( )
3 3
*
3 3
1
( , ) ( )
(2 ) (2 ) 2 2
p x p x p x p x
E
d p d d p
t b e a e b e a e
dt E





= = + = + +

i i i i p
p p p p
p
x i

(1.9)

(e) Having found , we can go back to the Schrodinger picture by setting t = 0 in (1.6), and,

( ) ( )
3 3

3 3
1
( , 0) ; ( ) ( ) ;
(2 ) (2 ) 2 2
E
d p d p
a e b e a e b e
E


+
= + = +

p i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
p
x x i (1.10)
We would like to point out that taking t = 0 sacrifices no generality if we express all dynamics in terms of
conserved Noetherian charges. This is analogous to effecting a canonical transform to conserved/time-
independent coordinates in classical mechanics. Lastly: quantities are conserved if there are no interparticle-
interactions, which is equivalent to translational and rotational space-symmetry (speaking in Noetherian terms).

Quantize the field by imposing the usual commutation relations,

. .
. .

[ ( ), ( )] ( ) [ ( ), ( )] ( );
[ ( ), ( )] 0 [ ( ), ( )] [ ( ), ( )] 0 [ ( ), ( )];
[ ( ), ( )] [ ( ), ( )] 0 [ ( ), ( )] [ ( ), ( )];
D C
D C



= =
= = = =
= = = =
x x i x x x x i x x
x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x
(1.11)

Show that these (1.11) are satisfied if the following are the only nonvanishing commutators of a and b,

3
[ , ] (2 ( ) [ , ]; a a b b

= ) =
p p p p
p p (1.12)

Introduce the abbreviations: ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ) , , , x x x x . Ignoring the integrals that come along for the
ride
1
, lets compute all the commutators alone that will result from plugging (1.10) into (1.11). Another way of
saying it: we will need the following identities,

( ) ( )

( ) ( )
3 ( ) 3 (
[ , ] [ , ]
[ , ]:[ , ]
[ , ] [ , ]
(2 ) ( ) (2 ) ( )
a a e b b e
a e b e a e b e
b a e a b e
e e


+ +

+



+
| | +
| + =
|

\
=
i p x p x i p x p x
p p p p
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
i p x p x i p x p x
p p p p
i p x p x i
p p p p
)


0 0
[ , ]:[ , ] 0 0 0 0 0 [ ( ), ( )] 0 0 [ ( ), ( )]
[ , ]:[ , ] 0 0 0 0 0 [ ( ), ( )] 0 0
a e b e a e b e
a e b e a e b e


+
+ +



+
+ + = + + + = = = =
= = = = =
p x p x
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
x x x x
x x

3 ( ) 3 ( )
3
[ ( ), ( )]
[ , ]:[ , ] (2 ) ( ) 0 0 (2 ) ( )
[ , ]:[ , ] (2 ) ( )
a e b e a e b e e e
a e b e a e b e e



+ + + +




+ + = + +
=
i p x i p x i p x i p x i p x p x i p x p x
p p p p
i p x i p x i p x i p x i
p p p p
x x
p p p p
p p
( ) 3 ( )


0 0 (2 ) ( )
[ , ]:[ , ] 0 0 0 0 0 [ ( ), ( )] 0
[ , ]:[ , ] 0 0 0 0 0 [ ( ), (
e
a e b e a e b e
a e b e a e b e



+
+

+

+
+ = + = =
+ = + =
p x p x i p x p x
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
p p
x x
x )] 0 = x
(1.13)


1
This is allowed because commutators/integrals are linear across integrals/commutators, respectively.
Putting the nonvanishing (1.13) into (1.10) (which are the three [ , ] ,

[ , ] , and

[ , ] ), we get,

( )
( )
( )
3 3 3
( ) ( )
3 3
( )
3 2 3
( ) ( )
3 3
( )
[ , ] ( ( ) ( )) ;
2 2 2 (2 ) (2 )
( )
1
[ , ] 0
2 2 (2 ) (2 )
E e
d pd p d p
e e
E
e
d p d p
e e E E
E E

+
+ +
+
+ +
| |
= = =
|
|

\
= = =

i p x p x
p ip x x ip x x
i p x p x
p
ip x x ip x x
p p
p p
p p
i i i
x x x x
p p
i i
( )
( ) ( )
[ , ]; e e
+ +
=

ip x x ip x x
(1.14)

(f) Derive the Hamiltonian operator,

( )
3
3
3
;
(2 )
d p
H E a a b b d x

= +

p p p p p
H (1.15)
Switching the Hamiltonian density (1.5) over to the energy-basis using the basis-transform (1.10) and the
commutation relations (1.12), in which the hard part is identifying the integrands of the terms
*
,
*
,
and
2 *
m as

( )( ) a e b e a e b e



i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
,

( )( ) a e b e a e b e


+ +
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
p p , and

( )( ) a e b e a e b e


+ +
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
, respectively, and noting that of
*
differs from that of
2 *
m
only by the term p p vs.
2
m , we get,

2

3 3 3
6

( ) (
3 3 3
6
( )( )
1
2 (2 )
( )( )
(
1
2 (2 )
m
E E
E E a e b e a e b e
d xd pd p
H
a e b e a e b e
E E a a e b b e
d xd pd p

+

+

| |

|
=
|
+ + + |
\
+

p p
i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p p p
p p i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
i p x p x i
p p p p p p
2
) ( ) ( )
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
)
( )
m
E E
a b e b a e
a a e a b e b a e b b e

+

+ + +

| |

|
|
+ + + + |
\

p p
p x p x i p x p x i p x p x
p p p p
p p i p x p x i p x p x i p x p x i p x p x
p p p p p p p p
(1.16)
We use the trick of a permitted term-by-term global sign-switch p p and using
3
3
(2 )
( ) ( )
d x
e

i k x
k k ,
and also considering = x x and E E
+

p p
, we get delta functions of the momentum-transfer, which we
integrate out straight away. All told, we are doing the double-integration over
3 3
d xd p ,

( )
2


3 3
1 1
2 2
3 3

3

Dirac sea 3
( )
(2 ) (2 )
( ) ( ) ( )
: :
(2 )
E
E
E a a b b a b b a
a a b b a a b b
d p d p
H E
b a a b a b b a a a a b b a b b
d p
H H H E a a b b

| | +
| | + + +
|
| = =
|
|
+ + + + + +
\
\
= +

p
p
p p p p p p p p p
p p p p p p p p
p
p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p
p p p p


( ) ( )
3

Dirac sea 3
1
; ( ) ( )
2 (2 )
d p
H b a a b a b b a

+

p p p p p p p p p
(1.17)

The
Dirac sea
H is a constant that does not affect the dynamics, or time-evolution as computed in the Heisenberg
picture of (1.7).

Would there have been any difference if we started with
*
instead of
*
? Note that switching
* *

would mean the first terms in (1.17), under ( ) E
p
, would switch as,


a a b b a b b a a a b b b a a b

+ +
p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p p
(1.18)
This would necessarily result in a Hamiltonian of,

3 3

3 3
1 1
(: :) ( ) ({ , } { , })
2 (2 ) 2 (2 )
d p d p
H E a a b b a a b b E a a b b

= + + + = +

p p p p p p p p p p p p p p
(1.19)

(g) Derive the total three-momentum operator P for the complex scalar field (as in Problem 1 of HW Set 3).

( ) ( )
3 3
3 3
3 3
( ) ( )
3 3 3
6
( ) ( )
( )
(2 ) 2 (2 ) 2
1
2 (2 )
i
i
i
i
E
d p d p p
P d x a e b e a e b e d x
E
a a e a b e
E
d p d pd x
p
E
b a e b b e

+

+

+

| |

| = = + +
|
\
+

=


p i p x i p x i p x i p x
p p p p
p
i p p x i p p x
p p p p
p
i p p x i p p x
p
p p p p
i
i
( ) ( )
3 3 3
3 3 3

3
3

1 1 1
2 2 2
(2 ) (2 ) (2 )
1
2 (2 )
1 ( . .)
i
d p d p d p i i i i i i
a a a b
d p
p
b a b b
P p a a b b a b a b P p P I C p a a b b

| | | |
| | =
| |

\ \
= + + = + = +


p p p p
p p p p
p p p p p p p p p p p p

(1.20)

In which we note that, the

a b b a


p p p p
terms are equal to their own negatives; the only number thats
equal to its own negative is 0 (the in the subscripts indicate that we are using

[ , ] 0 [ , ] a b a b

= =
p p p p
).

(h) Show that the quantized complex scalar field describes two sets of particles with mass m.

We note that Re Im = + i . By (1.4), we demonstrated that Re and Im are two independent
fields. Therefore, there must be creation and annihilation operators which create two independent types of
quanta. We introduce

b b
p p
, which create field-quanta that are independent of

a a
p p
, which was done in
(1.6). There, we did not explicitly say why we were introducing the

b b
p p
.

Now: introducing these independent

a a
p p
and

b b
p p
was equivalent to the commutators (1.12). The
independence of these commutators is interpreted as the independence of particles

a a
p p
and

b b
p p
.

We can make the third argument that involves computing the current generated by a global phase-rotation (c.f.,
Griffiths text on elementary particles). Introduce a local
2
phase-transform
( )
( ) ( ) ( )
x
e e e

= +
i i i
i ,
where we said ( ) x

= , and we get the Lagrangian,

( ) ( )
( )
* * 2 ( ) ( ) * * 2 *
2 2
2 * * * * 2
( ( ) ( ))( ( ) ( )) ( )( )
( ) ( ) ( ) ( )( ) ( )( ) ( )( ) ( ) ( )
x x
e e e e m e e m
j








= + +
= + + +
i i i i i i
i i
i
L L
(1.21)
Thus, invariance of the Lagrangian under a global phase-transform requires
2
( ) j

= . If we consider the
special case of 1

, we recover the continuity equation for current and probability densityI think

(i) At this point, the a and b particles look indistinguishable
3
. Recall that there is a conserved charge in this
theory due to invariance under phase rotations (see Eq. (2.15)). Derive the conserved charge in the classical
theory and show that in the quantized theory it is given by the relative number of a and b particles,

( ) ( )
3
???
3 * *
1
2 3
;
(2 )
d p
Q a a b b d x

= =

p p p p
i (1.22)

Now: derive the noether current, which makes reference to the quantities mentioned in (1.28),

2
We can always make a local phase transform a global one by striking out the appropriate derivatives.
3
Not in the quantum mechanical sense, though; we, ourselves, dont know how to tell as from bs, and we should be able to. That
is, as might be indistinguishable electrons (e-) and bs be indistinguishable positrons (e+), but we should be able to tell e- from e+.

( )
. .
2 2 2 2
2 2
2 2 2 * *
* *
; ( )
( ) (2 0) ( ) ( ) ( )
( )
D C
m e m e m
j j x

= = = = = =

= = = =

i i
i i
i
L L L L
L
J J
(1.23)
For the scalar field, using the commutator
* *
: ( . .) : a a e a b e b a e b b e c c
+ + ++ +

+
p p p p p p p p
, we get,

( ) ( )
3 3 3
0 3 * * 3 * * 3
6
( ) ( )

3
3

( ) ( ) ( . .)
(2 )
(2 )
( ) ( )
a a e a b e
d xd pd p
Q j d x d x d x c c
b a e b b e
a a b b
d p
b a a b b a a b

+

+


| |

| = = = +
|
+
\
| | +
=

+
\

ix p p ix p p
p p p p
ix p p ix p p
p p p p
p p p p
p p p p p p p p
i i i
i

3 3

3 3
( ) ( )
(2 ) (2 )
a b
d p d p
a a b b Q n n

| = =
|

p p p p p p
i
i
(1.24)

If we identify this with the electric charge, this implies that

a and

b create states of the same mass m, but

opposite charge, i.e. particles and antiparticles. What determines the overall sign of Q?

I am unsure as to how to determine the overall sign of each absolute charge. However, it is obvious that total
charge can be
a b
n n Q >
p p
and
a b
n n Q <
p p
. Which is positive and which is negative can never be
determined by experiment
4
, so it shouldnt be detectable by theory.

Optional stuff (but note the Appendix after the optional stuff!)

j) (part c) rewrite the conserved charge (position-space version of (1.22)) in terms of creation and annihilation
operators. See (1.24).

Evaluate the charge of the particles of each type. See:
a b
n n Q >
p p
and
a b
n n Q <
p p
.

(part d) consider the case of two complex Klein-Gordon fields with the same mass. Label the fields as
1,2
( )
a
x
=
.
Show that there are six conserved charges: one given by the generalization of part c (above) and the other
three given by,

* * 3
1
2
( ( ) ( ) ) ; [ -Pauli matrix];
i i i i th
a ab b a ab b
Q d x i = =

i (1.25)
It has been pointed out to me that we could carry out the generalization to n identical complex scalar fields
straight away. So, introduce either a sum of n scalar functions

or an n-dimensional complex vector

( )
* 2 * * 2 * * 2 *
1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2
2
2
* 2 * 2 2
1
( )( ) ( )( ) ... ( )( )
( )( ) ( )( ) ;
n n n n
n
m m m
m m m

=
=
= + + +
= = =

(1.26)

What transform is this Lagrangian (1.26) under? Whatever this transform, it must be unitary.

1
( ) ( ) : : U N SU N U U U e

= =
i
(1.27)
Applying this transform globally using
/ 2
( ) ( ) ( ) x x x e

=
i
.

Show that these three charges have the commutation-relations of angular momentum (SU(2)).



Generalize these results to the case of n identical complex scalar fields.

4
This is a recurrent theme in freshman-physics electrostatics labs (though, electrons are vector particles, whatever that means).

End of optional stuff


Appendix I classical field theory

To get conserved charge, we must integrate conserved current over either space or time. To that end, recall the
definition of conserved charges according to classical field theory,

2
( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( )
( , ) ( ) ( ) ( ) [ ( )] [ ]( )
( ) ( ) ( )
0 [ ( )] ( )
( ) ( )
[ ] [ ( )];
( )
( )
(
x x x x x x
L
j j x

= + +

= + + +


= +

=

L L L J L L
L L L L L
L O
L L
J J
L
J L
4-divergence of continuity
( ) ( ) 0
conserved current equation )
j x

( (
= =
( (

J
(1.28)