 Solution

For a single species both panels of the figure in c contribute, now with $j=1$. They are the $s$-channel annihilation and $t$-channel scalar exchange, where the Mandelstam variables are $s=(p_1+p_2{)}^2$, $t=(p_1-p_3{)}^2$, $u=(p_1-p_4{)}^2$ and $s+t+u=4m^2$. Fix the external-state order consistently with c. The exchange of identical external fermionic operators gives a relative minus sign:Changing the convention for ordering all external states can change the overall sign, but not this relative fermionic sign.

The exchange $p_1\leftrightarrow -p_4$ must include crossing symmetry the associated external spinors, as well as continuing the four-momenta. It interchanges $s$ and $t$, leaves $u$ fixed, and interchanges the two spinor pairings. Hence the analytically continued invariant scattering amplitude is antisymmetric:The first relation is understood with consistently chosen spinor crossing phases. It is not a substitution of negative-energy arguments into the original positive-energy $u$ spinors without changing external states.

Without repeating the spin sum calculation, c fixes the square of the first diagram. Crossing symmetry fixes the second by $s\leftrightarrow t$. Consequently the strongest immediate inference isThe interference function is not determined by the separate diagram squares. In particular adding the two squares and dropping interference is unjustified. The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality applied to the arrays of spin amplitudes also gives $|C(s,t)|\le 2|(s-4m^2)(t-4m^2)|$ on the physical scattering region.

For completeness, its value can be checked with one contracted trace, without another diagram calculation. The cross product isThe relative minus in the invariant scattering amplitude gives $C=-2K$. Thus the fully evaluated result, beyond the symmetry inference alone, isEvery term respects the inferred $s,t$ symmetry. In the massless limit the interference numerator reduces to $st$, which is nonzero at a generic scattering angle.