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For integer isospin $I$ and neutral-state charge conjugation value $\eta$, the entire isospin multiplet has $G=\eta (-1{)}^I$. Both charge conjugation and the second-axis half-turn reverse the first and third generators, so their product commutes with the full isospin algebra. Evaluate it on the $M=0$ state and use ladder connectivity to obtain the value for every $M$.

An isospin-invariant decay amplitude is an intertwining map from the initial isospin multiplet into the final tensor product. The Clebsch-Gordan decomposition for SU2 contains each allowed final isospin once. Commutation with the third generator and the quadratic Casimir operator places the image in the matching coupled state. Commutation with the ladder operators makes its scalar coefficient independent of the magnetic component. Orthogonality of the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients then gives a summed squared amplitude $|a{|}^2$. A physical decay rate additionally includes phase space and spin sums, which can be absorbed into a common reduced coefficient when exact isospin symmetry makes them identical between channels.

An isospin multiplet is an irreducible finite-dimensional SU(2) representation with labels $I,M$, where $I\ge 0$, $2I$ is an integer and $M=I,I-1,\dots ,-I$. With Hermitian generators, the lowering coefficient is $\sqrt{(I+M)(I-M+1)}$. The quadratic Casimir operator has value $I(I+1)$, fixing all ladder norms and the termination at $M=-I$.

For the addition of angular momentum, the uncoupled orthonormal basis is $|j_1{m}_1⟩\otimes |j_2{m}_2⟩$, whereas the coupled orthonormal basis diagonalizes ${\mathbf{J}}^2$ and $J_3$ for $\mathbf{J}={\mathbf{J}}_1+{\mathbf{J}}_2$. Define the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients byThe Clebsch-Gordan decomposition allows $|j_1-j_2|\le J\le j_1+j_2$ in unit steps, and a coefficient vanishes unless $m_1+m_2=M$. Taking the inner product of the expansion with itself provesWith the customary real phase convention the modulus signs can be omitted, giving the sum of squares used in the question. In an arbitrary phase convention the modulus-square identity is the invariant statement.

Treat the strong interaction as exactly isospin-invariant for this calculation. Its transition operator $T$ commutes with the three isospin generators and hence with their quadratic Casimir operator. Acting on the initial state $|IM⟩$, it can therefore produce only final states with the same $I$ and $M$. The tensor product representation of final multiplets $I_1,I_2$ contains one copy of each permitted total isospin, so $T|IM⟩=a_M|(I_1{I}_2)IM⟩$. Commuting $T$ with the lowering operator givesEvery connecting ladder factor is nonzero, so all $a_M$ coincide with one reduced coefficient $a$. Expanding the final coupled state now gives the isospin-invariant two-body decay amplitudeThe reduced coefficient may depend on the particle species, momenta and spin channel, but not on the three isospin projections. Summing the squared amplitude over the orthogonal charge channels givesA physical decay rate also includes phase space, angular integration and any spin sums. In the isospin-degenerate limit these factors are common to the charge channels; absorbing their square root into $a$ gives ${\Gamma }_{IM}=|a{|}^2$ for this specified two-body multiplet channel. If several distinct species or independent spin channels are included in “anything”, their reduced rates must additionally be summed. There is no extra factor $2I+1$ when the initial magnetic component is fixed.

The Delta baryon states have $I=3/2$ and projections $3/2,1/2,-1/2,-3/2$ for ${\Delta }^{++},{\Delta }^{+},{\Delta }^0,{\Delta }^{-}$. The proton and neutron form $I=1/2$, with projections $+1/2,-1/2$, and the pion triplet has $I=1$ with projections $+1,0,-1$. The highest coupled state isApply the total lowering operator $I_{-}=I_{-}^{(N)}+I_{-}^{(\pi )}$. Its coefficient on the left is $\sqrt{3}$, while on the right the nucleon and pion coefficients are $1$ and $\sqrt{2}$:The squared Clebsch-Gordan coefficients are consequently $1/3$ and $2/3$, compared with coefficient one for the ${\Delta }^{++}$ channel. Thus the Delta baryon pion branching ratios areAt the opposite end of the same isospin multiplet, $|3/2,-3/2⟩=|n{\pi }^{-}⟩$, so the strong decay is ${\Delta }^{-}\to n{\pi }^{-}$, with the same reduced rate in this symmetry limit. Physical mass splittings and electromagnetic effects perturb these idealized equal-kinematics ratios.

Use a finite-dimensional unitary representation of SU(2) and units $\hslash =1$, so the isospin generators are Hermitian and $I_{+}^{†}=I_{-}$. Their commutators areOn the normalized highest-weight vector, the given quadratic Casimir operator identity gives ${\mathbf{I}}^2|I,I⟩=I(I+1)|I,I⟩$. Since the quadratic Casimir operator commutes with every generator, this eigenvalue is unchanged down the ladder. Each application of $I_{-}$ lowers $M$ by one. For a normalized descendant,Positivity first gives $I\ge 0$. In a finite-dimensional representation the descending ladder must terminate; the norm vanishes only at $M=-I$. Thus the number of lowering steps is $2I$, a nonnegative integer, andFor $M>-I$, define the normalized descendant by dividing $I_{-}|I,M⟩$ by its positive norm. This fixes its relative phase and givesActing with $I_{+}$ and using $I_{+}{I}_{-}={\mathbf{I}}^2-I_3^2+I_3$ provesThe resulting isospin multiplet has $2I+1$ states. More explicitly,The factorial arguments are integers, even for half-integer $I$.

Put $R(\theta )=e^{-i\theta I_2}$. Differentiation and the commutators givewhile $I_2$ is unchanged. Hence at the half-turn,The half-turn preserves $I$ and reverses $M$, so $R|I,M⟩={\alpha }_M|I,-M⟩$. Since $R{I}_{+}{R}^{-1}=-I_{-}$, comparison of the two ways to rotate a raised state gives ${\alpha }_{M+1}=-{\alpha }_M$.

To fix the remaining phase, expand the supplied highest-state rotation identity as a finite sum. The $k$th term isAs $\theta \uparrow \pi$, all terms vanish except $k=2I$. The product of the lowering coefficients gives $I_{-}^{2I}|I,I⟩=(2I)!|I,-I⟩$. The surviving coefficient is therefore one, fixing ${\alpha }_I=1$. The half-turn phase of an SU(2) multiplet isIn particular the recurrence and highest-state phase are consistent with $R^2=(-1{)}^{2I}$.

Charge conjugation is a linear unitary symmetry. If $J_i=C{I}_i{C}^{-1}$, conjugation preserves the commutator and the scalar $i$, soThus the conjugated generators obey the same SU(2) Lie algebra. The charge conjugation action on $(I_1,I_2,I_3)$ is exactly the same pair of sign reversals as $R$. Their product $G=CR$ consequently satisfies $G{I}_i{G}^{-1}=I_i$ for all $i$. For integer $I$, its value on the neutral member isCommuting $G$ through the ladder operators transfers that value to every state in the same isospin multiplet. Therefore the G-parity of an isospin multiplet is

A photon has charge conjugation value minus one, so a two-photon state has value plus one. The electromagnetic two-photon decay preserves charge conjugation, giving ${\eta }_{{\pi }^0}=+1$. Since the pion has $I=1$, all three pion charge states have G parity minus one:The rho meson has $I=1$, $\eta =-1$, hence $G_{\rho }=+1$, whereas the omega meson has $I=0$, $\eta =-1$, hence $G_{\omega }=-1$. On an $n$-pion state the internal symmetry acts on each pion, giving $(-1{)}^n$ independently of orbital angular momentum. Conservation of G parity in the isospin-symmetric strong interaction therefore gives the G-parity selection rule for pion multiplicities:The allowed channels can also satisfy angular momentum and physical parity: the two pions from a rho can have relative orbital angular momentum one and total isospin one, while three pions can couple to the omega's $I=0$, $J^P=1^{-}$. The rule refers to the ideal isospin-conserving strong amplitude; small symmetry-breaking or electromagnetic contributions are not excluded.