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Does this argument prove that all fermionic states have zero norm?

Physics Asked by Jacob Drori on March 19, 2021

The following argument seems to show that all states created by a fermionic field have zero norm. This would surely cause problems in QFT, so I believe there must be an error somewhere, but I can’t find it.

Let $psi^alpha$ be a quantum field transforming in the $(frac{1}{2},0)$ irrep of $SL(2,mathbb{C})$. That is, under a boost $Lambda$, with unitary representative $U(Lambda)$, the field transforms as:

begin{equation} U(Lambda)^dagger psi^alpha(x) U(Lambda) = S(Lambda)^alpha_{spacespacebeta} psi^beta(Lambda^{-1}x) tag{1}end{equation}

with $S(Lambda)in SL(2,mathbb{C})$. The Hermitian conjugate field $psi^alpha(x)^dagger$ transforms via the complex conjugate of $S$:

begin{equation} U(Lambda)^dagger psi^alpha(x)^dagger U(Lambda) = (S(Lambda)^alpha_{spacespacebeta})^ast psi^beta(Lambda^{-1}x)^dagger tag{2}end{equation}

Define the array $T^{alphabeta} := langle Omega | psi^alpha(0) psi^beta(0)^dagger | Omega rangle $, where $|Omega rangle $ is the vacuum, which satisfies $U(Lambda)|Omega rangle = |Omega rangle$ for all $Lambda$. Inserting unitaries $U(Lambda)$ we find:

begin{align} T^{alphabeta} &=
langle Omega | underbrace{U(Lambda)^dagger psi^alpha(0) U(Lambda) }_{S(Lambda)^alpha_{spacespace rho} psi^rho(0)} space
underbrace{U(Lambda)^dagger psi^beta(0)^dagger U(Lambda)}_{(S(Lambda)^beta_{spacespace sigma})^ast psi^sigma(0)^dagger} |Omega rangle tag{3}
&= S(Lambda)^alpha_{spacespace rho} (S(Lambda)^beta_{spacespace sigma})^ast T^{rhosigma} tag{4}
&= left( S(Lambda) T S(Lambda)^dagger right)^{alpha beta}. tag{5}
end{align}

So for all $Sin SL(2,mathbb{C})$, the following matrix equation holds

$$ T = S T S^dagger. tag{6}$$

But this implies that $T=0$.$^ddagger$ Looking just at the diagonal entries of $T$, we see that $langle Omega | psi^alpha(0) psi^alpha(0)^dagger | Omega rangle = 0$ for each $alpha=1,2$ (no summation) and we conclude that $psi^alpha(0)|Omegarangle = 0$. Of course, this also implies that $psi^alpha(x)|Omegarangle = 0$ for all $x$.

$textbf{What has gone wrong?}$

$ddagger $ To see this, note that $SL(2,mathbb{C})$ contains $SU(2)$, so $UTU^dagger=T$ for all $Uin SU(2)$. So $T$ commutes with all of $SU(2)$, and therefore must commute with everything in the complex linear span of matrices in $SU(2)$. But the complex linear span of $SU(2)$ is simply all $2times 2$ matrices, so $T$ commutes with all $2times 2$ matrices, and so $Tpropto I_2$. Subbing back into (6) we find we must have $T=0$, since $S^dagger S neq I_2$ for some values of $Sin SL(2,mathbb{C})$.

2 Answers

You're assuming T is finite.

But $langle Omega | psi(x) psi(x) | Omega rangle$ is not finite, even in free field theory.

Likewise, you're assuming that T transforms as an irrep, which it need not.

Answered by user1504 on March 19, 2021

The equation (6) $$ T = S T S^dagger $$ should be $$ T rightarrow S T S^dagger $$

If one enforces equation (6), which means $T$ is boost invariant, $T$ indeed has to be zero if $psi$ belongs to $(frac{1}{2},0)$ only.

However, if you allow mixture of $(frac{1}{2},0)$ and $(0, frac{1}{2})$ for $psi$, then $T$ is not necessarily zero to be boost invariant. $T$ could be $gamma_0$ or $ gamma_1gamma_2gamma_3$.

Answered by MadMax on March 19, 2021

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