A5 root system 2026-10-25
The root system of the complex special linear Lie algebra is in . Its simple roots give a five-node An Dynkin diagram. The defining fundamental representation has six weights . The dual representation has weights , and the two-index antisymmetric representation has fifteen weights , , all with weight multiplicity one.
Charge conjugation of a non-Abelian gauge field Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-14
Write a matrix-valued gauge field in the fundamental representation. Charge conjugation sends it to because reordering the fermions transposes both the spinor and internal matrices. The identity then sends the gauge field strength to . This distinction prevents treating all color components as individually C-odd.
Fundamental-doublet breaking of SU(2) 2026-10-25
A single complex scalar field in the two-dimensional fundamental representation with potential , , has a three-sphere vacuum manifold. The stabilizer in of a chosen nonzero vector is trivial, so all three gauge bosons acquire the common mass . In unitary gauge, leaves one physical radial scalar of squared mass . Its couplings are . The three angular fields become longitudinal vector polarizations through the Higgs mechanism.
Fundamental-generator Fierz identity Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-10-25
For the fundamental representation of SU(N), take traceless Hermitian generators with . Along with the identity matrix, they form an orthogonal basis of all complex matrices. Expanding a matrix in this basis and subtracting its identity component proves the displayed completeness relation. It separates exchanged-index and unchanged-index contributions to color amplitudes.
Higgs conjugate doublet 2026-10-14
Set , whose Pauli matrix identity is . Exponentiation gives for . Hence complex conjugating a Higgs doublet and multiplying by restores the fundamental representation of , while reversing hypercharge. A Higgs field of hypercharge yields a conjugate doublet of hypercharge . Its product with a lepton doublet of hypercharge transforms in the trivial representation of the whole electroweak gauge group. At vacuum , this composite is .
The proper quark-gluon vertex colour factors come from two one-particle-irreducible Feynman diagrams, shown in the upper-middle and upper-right panels. One has a virtual gluon joining the open quark line on opposite sides of the external gluon insertion. The other has two virtual gluons meeting the external gluon at a three-gluon Feynman vertex, with their other ends joined by an internal quark. A Faddeev-Popov ghost field has no direct quark coupling, so it supplies no additional one-loop Feynman vertex graph here.
Let be the Hermitian generators of the fundamental representation of , with , , , and . Here and are quadratic Casimir operators evaluated in the fundamental representation and the Adjoint representation.
For the first graph, the ordered product is . Expand the double commutator:Thus its colour factor isFor the second graph choose the orientation of the three-gluon Feynman vertex so that its group tensor is and the ordered product along the quark line is . Antisymmetry removes the anticommutator part:The corresponding real group coefficient is after the conventional factor of is incorporated into the remaining Feynman rules. If the vertex is written with , its raw matrix product is instead . Reversing the ordered product reverses its sign together with the orientation-dependent three-gluon Feynman rule; these conventions describe the same scattering amplitude. External-leg corrections and local counterterms are separate from these two proper one-loop graphs.
Choose on the Dirac field, in the fundamental representation of SU(2), and . Define the gauge field strength and the Adjoint representation gauge covariant derivative byThe required gauge-fixed Yang-Mills Lagrangian in a covariant gauge, including the matter term, isHere and are independent Grassmann fields in the Adjoint representation: the Faddeev-Popov ghost fields and antighost fields. Under an infinitesimal gauge transformation, ; hence the Lorenz gauge function varies by . Its Faddeev-Popov determinant is represented by the ghost term, with an irrelevant field-independent determinant sign absorbed into normalization. Integration by parts gives , explicitly showing the ghost-gluon vertex.
There is no scalar vacuum expectation value here, so R-xi gauge reduces to the linear covariant gauge displayed above, with no Goldstone boson term. At the Feynman gauge gauge boson propagator is . With Fourier convention and all three boson four-momenta incoming, this choice gives exactly the source's three-boson Feynman rule, and the matter interaction vertex is . The sign of has been explicitly chosen here; the QED convention in question 2 instead has vertex .
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2018 4 c Solution 2026-10-25
For the branching from B3 to A3, apply the supplied weight projection matrix to column vectors of Dynkin labels. It sendsIt is consistent with choosing the simple roots in the order , , . Their Dynkin diagram is the chain . Their coroot pairings are respectively , explaining the projection without confusing labels and Euclidean coordinates.
The seven weights in b project asThe six nonzero weights form the weight system of the SU(4) two-index antisymmetric representation of highest weight . The zero weight is the remaining singlet representation. ConsequentlyThe eight spinor weights project asThe four weights constitute the defining fundamental representation . The other four are their negatives, forming the dual representation of highest weight . HenceFor the Young tableaux and tensors, let be the defining SU(4) representation. The singlet representation is , with the empty Young diagram and a scalar. The other three Young diagrams are columns of one, two and three boxes, representing , and :The square brackets indicate tensor index antisymmetrization, with indices from 1 to 4. The invariant Levi-Civita symbol identifies the three-index antisymmetric tensor with a covector, , explaining .
Young tableaux for the SU4 representations in the two branchings
. The empty Young diagram gives the singlet representation; columns of one, two and three boxes give , and . Increasing entries down each column display a standard Young tableau. The column determines complete tensor index antisymmetrization. Details. Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2022 2 d i Solution 2026-10-25
The Dynkin index is additive over a direct sum of group representations, so copies of the fundamental representation have . With , the supplied beta function becomesFor positive gauge coupling , asymptotic freedom at this order requires , hence . For nonnegative integer ,At the one-loop coefficient vanishes, so this formula alone does not establish asymptotic freedom. This count follows the scalar multiplicity convention of the printed beta function; changing how a real or complex scalar field is counted requires changing its coefficient too.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2022 2 e ii Solution 2026-10-25
For the fundamental representation and the two-index symmetric representation, the Dynkin indices are and . Therefore the specified discrete gauge anomaly condition for isAll ordered solutions areOnly and give a faithful action on this pair of Weyl fermions; faithfulness was not imposed. As in solution, cancellation here concerns the stipulated discrete gauge anomaly, not cancellation of the pure cubic SU(3) gauge anomaly. The integer normalization matters: one must not replace by a half-integer trace index inside an unchanged modular congruence.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2022 2 e i Solution 2026-10-25
Use the integer normalization from solution. For two fundamental representations, the specified discrete gauge anomaly coefficient is . Consequently all solutions in the finite cyclic group of charges areThere are ordered charge pairs. The trivial pair is included: the problem does not require a faithful action. If a faithful action on these Weyl fermions were additionally required, one would retain precisely the coprime to .
This cancels the discrete gauge anomaly defined in the paper. Two left-handed fundamental representations by themselves have a nonzero pure cubic SU(3) gauge anomaly; a complete gauge theory would need additional fermions to cancel it. That separate condition does not alter the requested discrete congruence.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2022 4 d Solution 2026-10-25
For the embedding in solution, restriction retains the first four Dynkin label coordinates, since the simple coroots of are the first four of . In a coordinate-free version of the same projection, let be the five defining weights of a representation of . Restriction gives for , while .
For the fundamental representation, its first five weights of a representation therefore form a and the sixth is the zero weight of a representation of a trivial representation. Negating the weights of a representation gives the conjugate representation:For the two-index antisymmetric representation, split the fifteen weights of a representation into the ten with and the five with . Their restricted values are and , respectively. These are precisely the weight systems of and . Negating again givesFor instance the highest weight of a representation restricts to for the , while restricts to for the . The restricted weight systems are disjoint unions of multiplicity-one sets in these cases, and their dimensions check as and .
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2023 4 d Solution 2026-10-25
Choose the first as and embed in the upper-left three-by-three block of . The fundamental representations then restrict as and . Thus the representation in solution, forgetting hypercharge, restricts toThis contains every required representation, with one extra singlet.
For the hypercharge embedding, let in the fundamental representation, and in the second . These commute with . The integer normalization in the paper isExplicitly, this circle group embeds in the covering group byBoth nontrivial blocks have determinant one, and the map is injective since the first three entries of the block recover .
On , , so the branching of a representation gives . On , the U(1) charges under are on and on , while takes values . HenceCombining the two summands givesThis is the Pati-Salam charge embedding, with . In terms of the common Standard Model convention , the paper's integer hypercharge is .
The extra neutral singlet can be interpreted as the left-handed charge conjugate of a right-handed neutrino. It is a sterile neutrino under the Standard Model gauge group, and completes the sixteen Weyl fermions of one family in this half-spin representation. Its neutrality permits a Majorana mass term without violating the remaining Standard Model gauge group.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2024 1 e Solution 2026-10-25
The scalar fields commute, so a degree- expression in one doublet belongs to a symmetric power, rather than an arbitrary tensor product. Put , . The generators of a group and act byA monomial is fixed by precisely when is divisible by three. Imposing then pairs the exponents. Through degree four the resulting holomorphic polynomial invariants areIn particular, two explicit invariant terms are and . Their invariance follows directly from and the interchange of the two components. A quartic example is .
For a physical real scalar potential, complex conjugate fields are allowed as well. The Hermitian inner product and its square are also invariant, while a holomorphic term can enter with its complex conjugate, for example . There is still no invariant linear term, because neither the doublet nor its conjugate representation contains a trivial representation. Thus the possible nonconstant total degrees areThe constant term is unrestricted.
For the fundamental representation of the special unitary group , its central element sends and . Every odd-degree polynomial changes sign, excluding degrees one and three. Further, acts transitively on the unit sphere in : a unit vector is the first column ofAn invariant polynomial must therefore depend only on . Through quartic order the general real scalar potential isHence the possible nonconstant degrees are ; the cubic term permitted by is excluded by .
If the notation is instead read as restricting to holomorphic polynomials alone, the distinction matters: a single commuting doublet has no nonconstant holomorphic polynomial invariant. The candidate contraction vanishes identically. The quadratic and quartic terms above require complex conjugate fields. This also explains why counting a trivial representation in alone would give an incorrect holomorphic answer.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2024 2 c Solution 2026-10-25
Write for a Young diagram with row lengths , and depict an empty box by . Appending the box of the fundamental representation to another single box gives a row or a column:The corresponding symmetric tensors and antisymmetric tensors have dimensions and , soFor the conjugate representation, the invariant volume tensor identifies , represented by a column of three boxes. Adding one box givesA column of four boxes is the determinant representation, which is trivial on . The remaining Young diagram has Dynkin labels and dimension fifteen. For example the hook-content formula givesEquivalently, a mixed tensor transforms by and splits into its trace and traceless matrix parts. Thereforewhere is the Adjoint representation.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2024 3 e Solution 2026-10-25
For each complex coordinate, exchanging the factors of a wedge product of differential forms reverses its sign, givingConsequently the Kähler form is , and . Expanding the holomorphic volume form givesThe sign of changes on exchanging , while reordering to requires two exchanges. This verifies every sign inUnder , unitarity preserves :The determinant is the factor by which a transformation acts on a top exterior power, so for . Extend the real embedding by fixing . It preserves , and , and therefore . ThusThe induced seven-dimensional representation is exactly the restriction already computed in c. In the conventional complex notation its branching rule isOver the real numbers, the six-dimensional summand is the underlying real space of the complex fundamental representation, and the last real line is the fixed axis.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2024 4 d Solution 2026-10-25
Let index denote the first coordinate, which the embedded fixes, and let denote the remaining coordinates. The fundamental representation and its conjugate representation immediately giveFor a symmetric tensor, is a trivial representation, is a , and is the fifteen-dimensional symmetric square of a group representation of . For an antisymmetric tensor, , is a , and is the ten-dimensional exterior power . HenceHere the left-hand is the antisymmetric tensor of , while the right-hand in the first equation is the symmetric tensor of ; equal dimensions alone do not identify representations of different groups.
Finally decompose the traceless block matrixThe traceless part of is the Adjoint representation , the column is , the row is , and the one remaining diagonal trivial representation is generated by . ThusAll dimensions match: , , and .
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2025 2 c Solution 2026-10-25
The complexification of a Lie algebra gives of type Dn root system and of type Bn root system. For , the simple roots for and give a chain with two terminal nodes joined to . All edges are single. For , use for and . The Bn Dynkin diagram is a chain with a double final edge and an arrow pointing to the short node .
Dynkin diagrams of the odd and even orthogonal Lie algebras, with the final arrow pointing toward the short root
. Details. The usual family diagrams apply to for and for . The small cases are , , ; is one-dimensional and Abelian.
To fix Casimir normalization for orthogonal vector representations, use Hermitian Lie algebra generators , so the defining representation has Dynkin index . With long roots of squared length two, the quadratic Casimir operator has Casimir eigenvaluewhere is the Weyl vector and in the final expression is the column of Dynkin labels. The defining fundamental representation has highest weight in the stated family conventions.
For , the row supplied in the source has sum and first entry one, soFor , the supplied row has sum , givingTaking the trace of gives the relation between the Dynkin index and Casimir eigenvalue, . ThereforeThere is also a direct check: each coordinate appears in planes and , so .
If the Casimir operator is instead defined by , every Lie algebra generator is larger by and the corresponding answers are and . These are the same Lie algebra in a different normalization. At the exceptional small ranks the family Dynkin labels of the vector change, but the direct matrix computation remains valid.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2025 4 b Solution 2026-10-25
Let be the defining fundamental representation of . Its weights are . Pairing with the simple coroots gives Dynkin labels . Thus the complete list isSuccessive lowering operators subtract the corresponding rows of the Cartan matrix in a. Each weight multiplicity is one.
The complex-conjugate representation is the dual representation and has the negatives of these weights. Its highest weight is , and its entire weight decomposition isEvery entry has weight multiplicity one.
The two-index antisymmetric representation is , of dimension and highest weight . A weight basis is for , carrying weight . The fifteen sums, all distinct and all of weight multiplicity one, areThe exclusion of comes from the exterior square, where .
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2025 4 c Solution 2026-10-25
For the standard A4 root system inside the A5 root system, let delete the fifth Dynkin label. Put for . These are precisely the five weights of the defining fundamental representation:Since , the six projected weights of are . The first five form the dual representation , with highest weight ; the last is a singlet. ThusFor , split the fifteen weights in b into the ten pairs with and the five pairs . The former project to , the complete weight decomposition of , with highest weight . The latter project to , the complete weight decomposition of . ThereforeThis restriction of a representation can also be checked without a table: , so its dual representation is , while its exterior square is . The dimensions match and .

