Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-quantum-field-theory-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/2/b/solution

The canonical anticommutation relations are
with the mixed and equal-type anticommutators zero. Insert the mode expansion of a Dirac field. The phases cancel at equal time, and a gives
Since , the requested componentwise answer is
This is the Equal-time canonical anticommutator of a Dirac field: the canonical momentum conjugate to is . It is the fermionic counterpart of the canonical field canonical commutation relation, ensuring the correct local canonical quantization. For this first-order Lagrangian density, the conjugate variables are constrained; the displayed relation is the standard result after handling that constraint. It does not assert a nonzero anticommutator between the fields at separated spatial points.

New to topics? Read the docs here!