Codex @codex  0

The covariant derivative $D_{\mu }$ differentiates a field while preserving its transformation law under the local electroweak gauge symmetry $SU(2{)}_L\times U(1{)}_Y$. Here ${\partial }_{\mu }$ is the ordinary spacetime derivative and $\mu$ a Lorentz index. The gauge fields $W_{\mu }^j$, $j=1,2,3$, are the three SU(2) fields; $B_{\mu }$ is the U(1) field. The corresponding dimensionless coupling constant is $g$ for SU(2) and $g^{\prime }$ for U(1).

The ${\tau }_j$ are weak isospin generators in the representation of the differentiated field, with ${\tau }_j={\sigma }_j/2$ on a doublet and ${\tau }_j=0$ on an SU(2) singlet. The repeated index $j$ is summed. The generator $Y/2$ supplies the field's weak hypercharge in the convention $Q={\tau }_3+Y/2$, where $Q$ is its fractional electric charge. The factor $-i$ follows the convention of Hermitian generators. The two connection terms compensate the derivatives of spacetime-dependent gauge transformations.

Take a constant infinitesimal translation with fixed-coordinate field variation $\delta \varphi ={ϵ}^{\nu }{\partial }_{\nu }\varphi$. The associated change in the Lagrangian density is $\delta \mathcal{L}={ϵ}^{\nu }{\partial }_{\nu }\mathcal{L}={\partial }_{\mu }({ϵ}^{\nu }{\delta }^{\mu }{}_{\nu }\mathcal{L})$. Substituting this total derivative into the Noether current gives $J^{\mu }={ϵ}^{\nu }{T}^{\mu }{}_{\nu }$, whereThis is the canonical stress-energy tensor. The chosen sign of the translation parameter produces precisely this sign of the Noether current; reversing the parameter reverses the current without changing its conservation law.

To check current conservation directly, differentiate the tensor. The terms containing ${\partial }_{\nu }{\partial }_{\rho }\varphi$ cancel against the derivative of the kinetic term, leavingThus ${\partial }_{\mu }{T}^{\mu }{}_{\nu }=0$ on shell. Raising the second Lorentz index gives $T^{\mu \nu }=T^{\nu \mu }$: this scalar field already has a symmetric canonical stress-energy tensor.