Chiral anomalies in supersymmetric theories

The supersymmetric non-abelian chiral anomaly is computed in a theory of chiral scalar superfields coupled to external gauge superfields, both in a vector-current conserving scheme and in a left-right symmetric scheme. The corresponding supersymmetric Wess-Zumino term is discussed; in particular we give an explicit expression for the anomalous bosonic term.     

Chiral bosons

The local lagrangian formulation for chiral bosons recently suggested by Floreanini and Jackiw is analyzed. We quantize the system and explain how the unconventional Poincaré generators of left and right chiral bosons combine to form the standard generators. The left-U(1) Kac-Moody algebra and the left-Virasoro algebra are shown to be the same as for left Weyl fermions. We compare the partition functions, on the torus, of a chiral boson and a chiral fermion. The left-moving boson is coupled to gauge fields producing the same anomalies as in the fermionic formulation. It is pointed out that the unconventional Lorentz transformations are inapplicable for the coupled system and a set of different transformations is presented. A coupling to gravity is proposed. We present the theory of chiral bosons on a group manifold, the chiral WZW model. The (1,0) supersymmetric abelian and non-abelian chiral bosons are described.     

On the random vector potential model in two dimensions

The random vector potential model describes massless fermions coupled to a quenched random gauge field. We study its abelian and non-abelian versions. The abelian version can be completely solved using bosonization. We analyse the non-abelian model using its supersymmetric formulation and show, by a perturbative renormalization group computation, that it is asymptotically free at large distances. We also show that all the quenched chiral current correlation functions can be computed exactly, without using the replica trick or the supersymmetric formulation, but using an exact expression for the effective action for any sample of the random gauge field. These chiral correlation functions are purely algebraic.     

Quantization of chiral gauge theories in two-dimensions

It is shown that both abelian and non abelian chiral gauge theories in two dimensions can be made gauge invariant at the quantum level by adding a scalar field. In the bosonized form of the theory, the scalar field appears in a gauged Wess-Zumino action. The current algebra of the extended abelian theory is shown to be free of anomalous terms.     

Approaches to a non-abelian antisymmetric tensor gauge field theory

Two distinct attempts at constructing a theory of non-abelian antisymmetric tensor gauge fields (ATGF's) are considered. First, a recently proposed geometry of abelian ATGF's is reviewed and then generalized to the non-abelian case. The resulting geometric action is non-local and is invariant under non-local gauge transformations; in the local limit the action describes free fields. Lattice actions for both the abelian and non-abelian ATGF theories are also presented. In the second approach, a lattice action for non-abelian ATGF's is constructed using a plaquette variables that carry four internal indices. The continuum limit is also a non-interacting theory.     

Consistent quantization of a two-dimensional non-abelian chiral theory

A two-dimensional SU(N) gauge model coupled to Weyl fermions is studied following recent suggestions for the quantization of potentially anomalous chiral theories. The Weyl fermion determinant is evaluated and the fermionic current is shown to be conserved due to the gauge invariance of the resulting quantum theory. As in the abelian case, the vector meson acquires a mass and the model is consistent provided a regularization parameter is conveniently chosen.     

Tumbling in two-dimensional gauge theories

The ideas of tumbling and most attractive channel condensation are confronted in two-dimensional chiral gauge theories. We first demonstrate how to perform a gauge-invariant regularization. We then proceed to find exact results about the spectra in both abelian and non-abelian cases. These conflict with the predictions of tumbling and MAC.     

Commutator of gauge generators in non-abelian chiral theory

Commutators among non-abelian fermion currents are calculated using the BJL limit. The relation between the covariant seagull and the gauge dependence of the fermion current is derived for a canonical non-abelian theory using the path integral formulation. We observe that in a non-abelian theory with coupling to chiral fermions this relation is violated and this produces a non-trivial commutator of gauge group generators.     

Gauge anomaly cancellation in chiral gauge theories

We consider chiral fermions interacting minimally with abelian and non-abelian gauge fields. Using a path integral approach and exploring the consequences of a mechanism of symmetry restoration, we show that the gauge anomaly has null expectation value in the vacuum for both cases (abelian and non-abelian). We argue that the same mechanism has no possibility to cancel the chiral anomaly, what eliminates competition between chiral and gauge symmetry at full quantum level. We also show that the insertion of the gauge anomaly in arbitrary gauge invariant correlators gives a null result, which points towards anomaly cancellation in the subspace of physical state vectors.     

Interacting Theory of Chiral Bosons and Gauge Fields on Noncommutative Extended Minkowski Spacetime

Several interacting models of chiral bosons and gauge fields are investigated on the noncommutative extended Minkowski spacetime which was recently proposed from a new point of view of disposing noncommutativity. The models include the bosonized chiral Schwinger model, the generalized chiral Schwinger model (GCSM) and its gauge invariant formulation. We establish the Lagrangian theories of the models, and then derive the Hamilton's equations in accordance with the Dirac's method and solve the equations of motion, and further analyze the self-duality of the Lagrangian theories in terms of the parent action approach.     

A simple and complete Lorentz-covariant gauge condition

We discuss a very simple gauge condition, for abelian or non-abelian gauge theories, which is both Lorentz-covariant and complete. Using this gauge a straightforward solution to the problem of expressing the vector potential A in terms of the field strength G is obtained.     

Phase factors,point-splitting regularisation and chiral anomalies

A method is proposed to construct the path-independent form of phase factors pertaining to non-abelian gauge theories. It is found that the original form of the phase factor, as envisaged by Schwinger, is reproduced for a straight path. As an illustration of its use this work is applied, within the framework of point-splitting regularisation, to obtain the familiar axial anomaly in a pure vector gauge theory. Subtleties associated with the treatment of the vector gauge current are also discussed. Finally, the scheme of computations is employed to derive the covariant and consistent anomalies in a non-abelian chiral gauge theory in arbitrary even dimensions.     

手征QCD2模型的有效拉氏量和质量生成

利用路径积分方法,研究了(1+1)维带γ₅耦合的规范理论。通过进行一非阿贝耳手征变量变换和选择更一般的正规化算子,精确解出了费密子行列式,证明了理论中可以存在玻色子的质量生成机制。除了一质量项外,得到的解也包含有一规范化的Wess-Zumino-Witten反常作用量泛函和一些别的非定域项。 关键词：     

Composite vector fields and tumbling gauge theories

In non-abelian gauge theories with a non-real fermion content it is possible that vector channels become more attractive than the most attractive scalar channel. It is speculated that the appearance of a vector condensate may signal the presence of massless composite vector fields which gauge a flavour symmetry of the underlying model, as is suggested by earlier work on non-linear spinor models.     

Actions for non-abelian twisted self-duality

The dynamics of abelian vector and antisymmetric tensor gauge fields can be described in terms of twisted self-duality equations. These first-order equations relate the p-form fields to their dual forms by demanding that their respective field strengths are dual to each other. It is well known that such equations can be integrated to a local action that carries on equal footing the p-forms together with their duals and is manifestly duality invariant. Space-time covariance is no longer manifest but still present with a non-standard realization of space-time diffeomorphisms on the gauge fields. In this paper, we give a non-abelian generalization of this first-order action by gauging part of its global symmetries. The resulting field equations are non-abelian versions of the twisted self-duality equations. A key element in the construction is the introduction of proper couplings to higher-rank tensor fields. We discuss possible applications (to Yang-Mills and supergravity theories) and comment on the relation to previous no-go theorems.     

Classical gauge theories as dynamical systems—Regularity and chaos

In this review we present the salient features of dynamical chaos in classical gauge theories with spatially homogeneous fields. The chaotic behaviour displayed by both abelian and non-abelian gauge theories and the effect of the Higgs term in both cases are discussed. The role of the Chern-Simons term in these theories is examined in detail. Whereas, in the abelian case, the pure Chern-Simons-Higgs system is integrable, addition of the Maxwell term renders the system chaotic. In contrast, the non-abelian Chern-Simons-Higgs system is chaotic both in the presence and the absence of the Yang-Mills term. We support our conclusions with numerical studies on plots of phase trajectories and Lyapunov exponents. Analytical tests of integrability such as the Painlevé criterion are carried out for these theories. The role of the various terms in the Hamiltonians for the abelian Higgs, Yang-Mills-Higgs and Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons-Higgs systems with spatially homogeneous fields, in determining the nature of order-disorder transitions is highlighted, and the effects are shown to be counter-intuitive in the last-named system.     

High spin limits and non-abelian T-duality

The action of the non-abelian T-dual of the WZW model is related to an appropriate gauged WZW action via a limiting procedure. We extend this type of equivalence to other σ-models with non-abelian isometries and their non-abelian T-duals, focusing on Principal Chiral models. We reinforce and refine this equivalence by arguing that the non-abelian T-duals are the effective backgrounds describing states of an appropriate parent theory corresponding to divergently large highest weight representations. The proof involves carrying out a subtle limiting procedure in the group representations and relating them to appropriate limits in the corresponding backgrounds. We illustrate the general method by providing several non-trivial examples.     

Vector field effective action in the open superstring theory

Using a path integral technique we find a closed expression (to all orders in α′) for the abelian, constant field strenght limit of the (tree) effective action for the massless vector field in the open superstring theory. The result is a modification of the Born-Infeld action found in the Bose string theory case. One-loop correction to the effective action is computed and shown to be finite if the gauge group is SO(32). It is demonstrated how the on-shell superstring scattering amplitudes can be calculated in the path-integral approach. We determine the leading (O(α') and O(α′²)) terms in the full non-abelian effective action starting from the known results for the 3-point and 4-point amplitudes. We find that because of the equivalence theorem the coefficients of some of the invariant structures in the effective lagrangian cannot be fixed from the S-matrix. In the path integral approach this ambiguity manifests itself as a 2d renormalization scheme (and Weyl gauge choice) ambiguity. We also discuss the leading terms in the gravitational effective actions in the closed (super) string theories and point out that whether or not the R² terms form the “Gauss-Bonnet” combination depends on choice of a renormalization (massless exchange subtraction) scheme.     

A four-dimensional model with the fermionic determinant exactly evaluated

A method is presented to compute the fermion determinant of some class of field theories. By this method the following results of the fermion determinant in two dimensions are easily recovered: (i) Schwinger model without reference to a particular gauge. (ii) QCD in the light-cone gauge. (iii) Gauge invariant result of QCD. The method is finally applied to give an analytical solution of the fermion determinant of a four-dimensional, non-abelian, Dirac-like theory with massless fermions interacting with an external vector field through a pseudo-vectorial coupling.     

Plaquette formulation and the Bianchi identity for lattice gauge theories

We extend Halpern's field-strength formulation and dual potentials (for continuum gauge theories) to abelian and non-abelian lattice gauge theories. New results include: (i) plaquette formulation of all lattice gauge theories, (ii) the strong coupling expansion is seen as (a) a perturbation in dual links or (b) a gradual restoration of the lattice Bianchi identity. To leading order in the strong coupling expansion the lattice Bianchi identity is completely ignored. Geometrical interpretation of the lattice Bianchi identity is presented along with a discussion of the “abelianization” of the non-abelian identity and its connection with gauge-invariant variables. For abelian theories we also show that the dual potential is Fourier conjugate to the Bianchi identity and that the Coulomb gas representation of these theories is easily obtained in this formulation.