Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2020 2 c Solution 2026-10-25
Use the combinations at each momentum. Part a gives , , while their creation operators obey , . Applying b givesThe creation operators transform by the Hermitian adjoint formulas with . At , both exponentials are , soSubstituting into the fixed-time mode expansion of a free field of the complex scalar field givesThus exchanges particles and antiparticles, as required for charge conjugation. To see the charge reversal explicitly, the conserved charge obeys . The generator in the question is distinct from this charge.
The two occupation terms in the Hamiltonian are exchanged, with the same relativistic energy , and thereforeIn fact because its mixing terms exchange equal-energy modes. With normal ordering, for . Then fixes the vacuum state and satisfies . The construction is a bosonic species-swap generator.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2020 2 d Solution 2026-10-25
Take parity symmetry in quantum field theory to preserve free time evolution, so the conjugate initial data reflect along with the field. Substitute the mode expansion of a free field into the defining parity operator relation and change the integration variable . Since , coefficient comparison, or comparison of both the field and its conjugate initial data, gives the intrinsic-even conventionHere parity symmetry in quantum field theory reverses spatial momentum and preserves time. The creation operator formulas follow by taking Hermitian adjoints. The given field relation has fixed the intrinsic phase to .
For one real scalar field, let act on one-particle wave functions by . It is a Hermitian operator with , so is the orthogonal projector onto odd wave functions. Its second quantization is the odd-mode number operatorThe full momentum space is integrated in both expressions; the factors prevent double counting the pairs . A suitable parity operator isFor verification, . Thus the even combination is unchanged, and the odd combination changes sign under conjugation by , exactly reproducing . The same holds for creation operators. The odd-mode number operator has integer eigenvalues, so , and . Multiplying by an overall constant phase would not change its conjugation action. This is parity as odd-mode number parity.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2021 1 e Solution 2026-10-25
Put . For the decay width is zero by conservation of energy. Just above the three-particle decay threshold, all three daughters are nonrelativistic. The decay amplitude of iv remains finite: the internal scalar propagator denominator approaches , and the Dirac scalar bilinear does not vanish at rest. Thus, for nonzero fixed and , the leading suppression comes entirely from three-body threshold phase space.
Use the spatial Dirac delta function to eliminate one daughter momentum. The remaining integral has six independent momentum coordinates and one conservation of energy constraint,Rescaling both momenta by gives from the measure and from the Dirac delta function. The smooth factors do not change the power. Consequentlywith a finite positive leading coefficient when ; for . The for the identical bosons changes only this coefficient. Equivalently, at fixed the opening is quadratic in . If , this leading tree-level Feynman diagram vanishes, so the stated leading coefficient is zero.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2021 2 c Solution 2026-10-25
Take a spatial Fourier transform of the mode expansion of a Dirac field:The orthogonality relations and isolate the fermionic annihilation operator. Projecting onto instead isolates the fermionic creation operator:The opposite time phases and reversed antiparticle momentum are essential. Both denominators are , because the Dirac spinors have norm squared .
For the two-point function, the original Feynman diagrams below show both one-vertex graphs and every two-vertex topology with external momentum flowing between distinct interaction vertices. All lines represent the same real scalar field. The lower row labels the number of parallel connecting lines; a small closed line at a vertex is a tadpole diagram.
One-vertex self-energies and the four momentum-dependent two-vertex topologies in the three-dimensional quartic-sextic scalar theory.
Details. Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2021 3 c ii Solution 2026-10-25
To include all momentum-dependent contributions to the two-point function, put one external line at each interaction vertex. Let be the number of lines connecting the vertices, and their numbers of tadpole diagrams. For vertex valences ,The integer is odd, and gives a one-particle-reducible Feynman diagram and is excluded. Thus the complete list is
- : , , the sunset diagram.
- : , , the sunset diagram with one tadpole diagram.
- : , , the sunset diagram with one tadpole diagram at each vertex.
- : , , the five-line banana integral topology.
The coefficient of the mixed graph includes the reflected external attachment as well as its reciprocal Feynman-diagram symmetry factor. If both external lines attach to the same interaction vertex, no external momentum enters the connecting internal lines, and that Feynman diagram cannot contribute to wave-function renormalization.
For incoming external momentum , assign the connecting lines momenta . DefineThe momentum space Feynman rules give, in the order listed,Each is a reciprocal Feynman-diagram symmetry factor, including any equivalent external attachments. There are respectively independent loop momenta.
If “contribute to wavefunction renormalization” means requiring a divergent kinetic counterterm after subtraction of all subdivergences, only the last topology qualifies. The first three still have nontrivial external momentum dependence and give finite contributions to a normalization condition; their raw divergent factors arise from mass counterterms and interaction vertex counterterms. Keeping all four here makes this distinction explicit. The ultraviolet divergence analysis in d establishes it directly.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2021 3 c i Solution 2026-10-25
With a single quartic interaction vertex, the two unused line ends close into one tadpole diagram. With a single sextic interaction vertex, the four unused ends pair into two tadpole diagrams. These are the only one-vertex one-particle irreducible Feynman diagrams for the two-point function.
Define the Minkowski Feynman integralsThe amputated two-point function contributions arewhere are the reciprocals of the corresponding Feynman-diagram symmetry factors. Both are independent of external momentum, and hence affect the mass counterterm rather than wave-function renormalization. No numerical Feynman-diagram symmetry factors are needed here.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2021 3 d Solution 2026-10-25
There are three independent nonfactorized momentum integrals, namely a tadpole integral, the three-line sunset diagram integral, and the five-line banana integral. The six displayed Feynman diagrams involve six complete integral expressions:The distinction between independent building blocks and their products removes an ambiguity in counting “different momentum integrals”. For the strict divergent-wave-function renormalization interpretation of ii, the graphs in c reduce to , comprising three full integral expressions and two independent nonfactorized building blocks.
Make a Wick rotation and use to separate ultraviolet divergences from infrared divergences. Write , and let be the Euclidean versions of the integrals above, with their harmless overall factors of removed. A spherical ultraviolet cutoff givesThus the one-vertex quartic graph is linearly divergent, and the one-vertex sextic graph is quadratically divergent as .
For the other two building blocks, the spatial Fourier transform is especially transparent. The three-dimensional Euclidean scalar propagator isThe convolution theorem converts the parallel lines into . Angular integration gives, with a short-distance cutoff ,This is a different convenient cutoff regularization for the connected block; power-divergent coefficients depend on the cutoff convention, whereas the conclusions about powers and the presence of a kinetic logarithm do not. The sinc function is understood to be at .
For , the integrand starts as , soIts divergent part is independent of external momentum. In particular,The finite difference and its finite derivative show why the pure three-line sunset diagram does not need a divergent wave-function renormalization in three dimensions.
For , the small-distance Taylor expansion isConsequentlyIn particular, the nonzero term requires a genuine divergent wave-function renormalization, in addition to the mass counterterm. The coefficients here refer to the displayed position-space cutoff and have not included Feynman-diagram symmetry factors or bare couplings.
The comparison with the superficial degree of divergence isThus the actual leading power agrees with in every case. The additional logarithms in products come from ultraviolet subdivergences, which uniform power counting alone does not resolve.
For and , differentiation with respect to removes the logarithmic divergence of , but leaves divergent factors or multiplying a finite, nonpolynomial function of . These are subdivergent contributions, not new nonlocal counterterms: subtracting each tadpole diagram subdivergence and the momentum-independent subdivergence removes them. For example, in a factorized subtraction scheme , and likewise for . The remaining kinetic logarithm explains the strict interpretation in ii. A dimensional regularization scheme can suppress power divergences; it does not invalidate this cutoff-based comparison with .
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2022 1 c Solution 2026-10-25
Set and . The superficial degree of divergence is then , independently of the number of cubic interaction vertices. After subtracting ultraviolet subdivergences, the divergent part of a one-particle irreducible Feynman diagram is a local polynomial in external momenta of degree at most . Lorentz invariance and momentum conservation leave the following possibilities:
- : a constant vacuum energy density.
- : a linear tadpole counterterm. The single external momentum is zero, so derivatives cannot generate further independent terms.
- : a mass counterterm and a wave-function renormalization, since the polynomial has the form .
- : a constant cubic interaction vertex.
- : no overall ultraviolet divergence, although ultraviolet subdivergences still require their lower-point counterterms.
Thus a finite set of counterterms closes under perturbation theory. In terms of renormalized coefficients, writeHere is a coefficient of squared mass, rather than a correction to itself. The tadpole counterterm fixes the chosen expansion point, for example ; it cannot be omitted merely because the original Lagrangian density lacks a linear term. The vacuum energy density term cancels out of normalized Green functions, but is required if the unnormalized vacuum functional is also to be renormalized. This establishes perturbative renormalizability; the unbounded scalar potential of a real cubic scalar field theory does not by itself define a stable nonperturbative vacuum state.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2022 1 d Solution 2026-10-25
Continue with the cubic scalar field theory of c, and use precisely its counterterm signs. Take to separate ultraviolet divergences from infrared divergences. Make a Wick rotation and impose the rotationally invariant cutoff regularization . PutFor example, spherical coordinates give . Polynomial division and then differentiation with respect to give the divergent partsThe derivative relations are and ; differentiation also generates finite terms, which are irrelevant here. The first supplied integral identity is consistent with these divergent parts after Wick rotation.
The second supplied expansion is incorrect. Write . Direct multiplication of the two denominators gives , so the correct Taylor expansion isA concrete counterexample is , , : the exact expression is , whereas the printed expansion gives . We therefore compute the self-energy without that identity.
For Euclidean external momentum , define the scalar bubble integralA Feynman parameter combines its denominators into one squared denominator with . Applying the radial result above and integrating yieldsOne can instead expand with the ultraviolet cutoff fixed on the unshifted loop momentum: the coefficient of the integrand is , using rotational averaging in six dimensions. Its leading radial term is , giving the same logarithm. Shifting a sharp integration boundary changes finite terms in this scalar bubble integral, and does not change the displayed divergent coefficients.
To fix all signs and symmetry factors together, expand the one-loop Euclidean effective action around a background scalar field:These terms are the tadpole diagram, the two-point bubble diagram, and the triangle Feynman diagram. The tadpole diagram has factor ; the two-point bubble diagram also has factor after two differentiations with respect to the background scalar field. The local three-point interaction vertex is . Thus their divergent contributions to the one-, two-, and three-point Euclidean one-particle irreducible vertices are respectivelyThe Euclidean counterterm Lagrangian is . Cancelling each divergent one-particle irreducible vertex therefore givesFor example, the two-point sum is and its divergent coefficients cancel separately. Finite counterterms depend on the chosen renormalization conditions. The zero-mass limit can use a positive subtraction scale in the logarithms after infrared regularization.
If unnormalized vacuum functionals are retained, specify the determinant measure byExpanding its radial integrand at large fixes the additional vacuum energy density counterterm:The purely mass-independent terms depend on the determinant normalization. Normalized Green functions eliminate this entire constant.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2022 2 a Solution 2026-10-25
The auxiliary field has quadratic kernel and no kinetic term. Inverting that kernel, rather than introducing an artificial scalar mass, gives the momentum space Feynman rulesThe auxiliary-field propagator is independent of momentum; in position space it is . At each interaction vertex attach for momentum conservation. Integrate independent loop momenta with , respect fermion flow, include the closed fermion loop sign , and use the appropriate symmetry factor. Incoming and outgoing fermions carry and ; incoming and outgoing antiparticles carry and . Exchanging external fermions introduces the fermionic sign. Here is Feynman slash notation.
For a dimensional check, , , in mass dimensions. Eliminating consequently produces a four-fermion interaction of negative coupling mass dimension, not a propagating scalar degree of freedom.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2022 2 b i Solution 2026-10-25
Label the incoming fermion momenta and outgoing fermion momenta , with . There are two tree-level Feynman diagrams: the channel connects to and to , with exchanged momentum ; the channel connects to and to , with . Both internal lines are auxiliary-field propagators. The upper row in the figure gives these labelled connections; the outgoing labels are exchanged in its second panel to avoid a visually unnecessary crossing.
Each tree-level Feynman diagram contains two factors and one factor , giving . The exchange of the two identical outgoing fermions gives the relative fermionic sign. Up to a common external-state phase, the corresponding scattering amplitude isThere is no annihilation channel: both incoming particles carry the same fermion number, whereas a interaction vertex couples one fermion to one antiparticle when both are incoming.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2023 1 b Solution 2026-10-25
The one-loop one-particle irreducible correction is a tadpole diagram: two external lines meet one quartic interaction and the other two legs are joined. Interchanging the two ends of its loop gives the symmetry factor .
Original scalar diagrams: the two-dimensional tadpole, charge-conserving light-scalar exchange, and heavy-scalar box amplitudes. Dashed lines carry charge two; solid lines carry charge one.
Details. Define the self-energy by an insertion and a full scalar propagator before counterterms. The supplied cutoff regularization integral givesThusIt has no external momentum dependence. The correction to the unamputated two-point correlation function in momentum space isThe positive sign of raises the unrenormalized squared pole mass for .
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2023 1 c Solution 2026-10-25
Write , , and define the mass counterterm as a squared-mass coefficient:With the self-energy convention in b, the inverse scalar propagator is . Requiring the pole mass to equal therefore gives the on-shell renormalization scheme conditionAt one loop order, ; hence a unit pole residue also gives , andThe mass counterterm Feynman rule is , cancelling the tadpole diagram. A convention defining a positive mass subtraction by instead has ; specifying this convention avoids a spurious sign disagreement.
There is no one-loop wave-function renormalization because the tadpole diagram is independent of momentum. Each one-loop four-point bubble diagram has two scalar propagators, so its large Euclidean loop momentum integral behaves as and is ultraviolet finite. Thus no divergent quartic interaction counterterm is required. Finite coupling redefinitions remain possible. At higher loop orders, finite wave-function renormalization may be needed if unit pole residue is imposed; power counting only rules out its ultraviolet divergence.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 b Solution 2026-10-25
The two complex scalar fields have scalar propagatorscontractions of two unconjugated fields or two conjugated fields vanish. Draw an arrow on each line in the direction of positive conserved charge flow: a solid line carries one unit and a dashed line two units. A particle arrow follows its physical momentum; an antiparticle arrow opposes it.
There are two conjugate three-leg interaction vertices, both with Feynman rule : one has a charge-two arrow entering and two charge-one arrows leaving, and the other reverses every arrow. These describe the two conjugate terms and . The two identical attachments cancel the in the Lagrangian density. All crossed assignments are obtained by moving external lines between initial and final states while maintaining the arrows. There is no interaction vertex with three equal-sign charges.
Each interaction vertex conserves four-momentum, supplying with all momenta entering. Integrate each independent loop momentum with and divide by the Feynman-diagram symmetry factor. No minus sign is assigned to a closed scalar loop. These rules are for after amputating external lines and removing the overall four-momentum conservation factor.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 c ii Solution 2026-10-25
Take with the Mandelstam variables of i. The allowed tree-level Feynman diagram is the crossed -channel exchange in panel (c) of b's figure. At one end the incoming particle and outgoing antiparticle transfer charge ; the other end absorbs that charge. The zero-charge - and -channel assignments are forbidden by the interaction vertices. ThusIn the center-of-mass frame with , and . For , both scattering amplitudes approach . The elastic two-body Lorentz-invariant phase space and incident flux agree for the two experiments. Usingfor distinguishable final particles, and an extra factor when integrating the identical-particle final state over the whole sphere, givesThere is no additional division for identical incoming particles in the definition of a beam scattering cross-section. Before taking , the zero-momentum ratio is , provided the threshold is away from the heavy pole.
Near , the bare -channel scalar propagator makes fixed-order perturbation theory fail: repeated self-energy insertions contain powers of . The channel is open for , giving the leading decay widthResumming the self-energy gives a finite Breit-Wigner resonance cross section, with denominator near the pole, rather than an infinite scattering cross-section. Also, with lies outside the assumed nonrelativistic incoming kinematics; the ratio is not a resonance prediction.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2023 2 d ii Solution 2026-10-25
Cross the second incoming heavy particle and one outgoing heavy particle in i to obtain . Panel (e) of b's figure shows the resulting box diagram. Its four light-charge arrows again alternate source and sink corners; it is the only connected order- topology. There is no tree exchange because every cubic interaction vertex has only one heavy leg. With , crossing does not affect the zero-external-momentum loop integral, soAn independent check is to integrate out the complex scalar field at constant . Its two real-component squared masses are . The one-loop quantum effective potential is thereforeExpanding the logarithms to fourth order in givesThus the effective Lagrangian has the positive local coefficient . Its external attachments give the common scattering amplitude in both channels. This also checks the box multiplicity and sign.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2024 1 b Solution 2026-10-25
Both a particle and its antiparticle carry the momentum of their mode label. Thus the normal-ordered total momentum operator isThe canonical commutation relations giveThe minus sign in the antiparticle mode label is essential: both terms in the printed mode expansion of a free field contain . Hence
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2024 2 c Solution 2026-10-25
Interpret the repeated species label in the Yukawa interaction as summed over : each Feynman vertex is diagonal in species and equals . Define the invariant scattering amplitude by . There is one tree-level Feynman diagram, an -channel scalar exchange. In the left panel, for this part; the right panel only occurs in d. Arrows show fermion-number flow, so an antifermion arrow opposes its physical momentum.
Labelled scalar-exchange annihilation and elastic diagrams, with arrows following fermion-number flow
. Details. Writing and , the momentum-space Feynman rules giveThe scalar carries no spin label. Average over the incoming spin states and sum the four outgoing combinations. For the real scalar Yukawa interaction, the conjugate of is . The fermion spin sums then yieldThe bar denotes the initial spin average, not a Dirac adjoint. The gamma matrix trace identities giveand the second trace has the same value because and all external masses are . ThereforeThis is the fixed-order expression away from . If that pole is accessible, a physical scattering resonance requires a scalar self-energy and decay width; the tree formula alone is not finite there.
Past exam of the quantum field theory course of the University of Oxford 2024 3 c Solution 2026-10-25
Use one-particle-irreducible correlation functions to identify independent local counterterms. The exact internal symmetry excludes odd , and Dirac fermion number conservation requires equal numbers of and , so is even. From b, the complete list of potentially overall divergent vertices with external legs is:
- : , , potentially divergent for .
- : , , potentially divergent for .
- : , , potentially divergent only for .
- : , , potentially divergent for .
- : , , potentially divergent only for .
The zero-leg vacuum diagrams, with , may also require a vacuum energy density subtraction. Four-fermion vertices have and do not require a new four-fermion counterterm. These are superficial bounds: a particular allowed diagram can vanish or be convergent.
Locality and Lorentz invariance restrict the divergent parts to a finite basis. The scalar two-point vertex can contain a constant and ; there is no Lorentz scalar linear in a single momentum. The fermion two-point vertex can contain and . The remaining listed vertices have no allowed derivative divergence. A complete counterterm Lagrangian, up to total derivatives, is thereforeThe coefficients supply wavefunction renormalization, mass counterterms and renormalizations of the three interactions already present. Recursive subtraction of ultraviolet subdivergences then leaves only these local overall divergences. This finite counterterm closure is why the complete theory is expected to have perturbative renormalizability. It does not mean every listed coefficient first becomes nonzero at one loop, or that setting an allowed coupling to zero is stable under renormalization.


