Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-quantum-field-theory-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2021/2/b/solution
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2021 2 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
The canonical anticommutation relations arewith the mixed and equal-type anticommutators zero. Insert the mode expansion of a Dirac field. The phases cancel at equal time, and a givesSince , the requested componentwise answer isThis 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.
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