Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/iii/paper-305/3/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2021 iii Paper 305 3 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-09-28
The Goldstone theorem states that every spontaneously broken generator of a continuous internal global symmetry in a Lorentz-invariant quantum field theory produces a massless scalar particle.
For the classical proof, let be the invariant scalar potential and let be a vacuum. Infinitesimal invariance givesDifferentiate with respect to and evaluate at the stationary point , where . The scalar mass matrix then obeysFor every broken generator, , so is a zero eigenvector of the hessian matrix. It is a massless fluctuation tangent to the vacuum manifold.
For the quantum proof, spontaneous breaking means that some local field hasWrite and insert a complete set of momentum eigenstates into the current-field correlation function. Current conservation and Lorentz covariance imply that a scalar intermediate state couples asThe nonzero equal-time commutator requires a pole at ; otherwise the conserved-current spectral integral vanishes at zero momentum. Thus a massless Goldstone boson exists for every independent broken direction.
New to topics? Read the docs here!