Past exam of the gauge field theory course of the University of Cambridge / 2012 / Paper 1 / 1 / Solution

The gauge fields require their own Yang-Mills Lagrangian, $-W_{\mu \nu }^a{W}^{a\mu \nu }/4$. The non-Abelian field strength contains a term quadratic in the gauge potentials, so squaring it produces three-vector and four-vector self-interaction vertices, with derivative momentum factors in the cubic vertex and SU(2) structure constants in both. They exist in either scalar phase and must be added to the scalar-generated vertices. A gauge-fixed quantum calculation also has gauge-fixing and, where applicable, ghost terms; those are not extra physical boson species.

For ${\mu }^2>0$, the global phase transformation $\Phi \mapsto e^{i\alpha }\Phi$ leaves both the scalar potential and the covariant kinetic term unchanged while leaving $W_j$ fixed. Its Noether charge counts scalar particles minus antiparticles. Thus ${\varphi }_a{\varphi }_b\to {\varphi }_a{\varphi }_b$ and ${\varphi }_a{\varphi }_a^{\ast }\to W_3{W}_3$ are compatible with this charge, whereas ${\varphi }_a{\varphi }_b\to W_j{W}_k$ is forbidden: its initial charge is two and final charge zero. Charge conservation is necessary, not sufficient, for a particular amplitude to be nonzero; other quantum numbers and kinematics still apply.

After adding the hypercharge field, the neutral-vector mass term becomesIts mass matrix has zero determinant. With $G=\sqrt{g^2+g^{\prime 2}}$, the orthonormal combinations areThe unbroken generator is electric charge, $Q=T_3+Y/2$, because the lower doublet component has $T_3=-1/2$ and $Y=1$. The charged combinations $W^{\pm }=(W_1\mp i{W}_2)/\sqrt{2}$ keep mass $gv/2$.

The observed charged weak interaction couples left-chiral fermions within SU(2) doublets. In the Standard Model, $Q_L=(u_L,d_L)$ and $L_L=({\nu }_L,e_L)$ are doublets, while $u_R,d_R,e_R$ are singlets. A vectorlike assignment would also give right-handed charged weak currents, contrary to this observed chiral structure. Once the measured electric charges are specified, $Y=2(Q-T_3)$ fixesAn optional right-handed neutrino is a singlet with $Y=0$. Conjugate left-chiral fields have the opposite hypercharges to these right-chiral fields. These assignments permit gauge-invariant Yukawa interactions; they are not obtained by assigning one common hypercharge to every chirality.