Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / iii / Paper 305 / 1

In the mode expansion of a Dirac field, $b^s(p)$ is the fermionic annihilation operator for a particle of four-momentum $p$ and spin angular momentum label $s$, while $d^{s†}(p)$ is the fermionic creation operator for the corresponding antiparticle. The Dirac spinor $u^s(p)$ is the positive-frequency particle wavefunction and $v^s(p)$ is the negative-frequency antiparticle wavefunction; they solve $(/p-m)u^s=0$ and $(/p+m)v^s=0$, respectively.

Apply the parity symmetry in quantum field theory to the given mode expansion of a Dirac field:The stated Dirac spinor identities are equivalently $u^s(p)={\gamma }^0{u}^s(p_P)$ and $v^s(p)=-{\gamma }^0{v}^s(p_P)$. Relabel the momentum sum by $p\mapsto p_P$ and use $p_P\cdot x=p\cdot x_P$ to obtainThe phase $|{\eta }_P|=1$ is the intrinsic parity convention.

Write ${\psi }^P(x)={\eta }_P{\gamma }^0\psi (x_P)$. The chain rule gives ${\partial }_0\psi (x_P)=({\partial }_0\psi )(x_P)$ and ${\partial }_i\psi (x_P)=-({\partial }_i\psi )(x_P)$. Using the gamma matrix relations $({\gamma }^0{)}^2=1$ and ${\gamma }^i{\gamma }^0=-{\gamma }^0{\gamma }^i$,Thus the Dirac equation is invariant under parity symmetry in quantum field theory.

The quantum electrodynamics interaction is ${\mathcal{L}}_{\mathrm{int}}=-e{j}^{\mu }{A}_{\mu }$, where the Dirac electromagnetic current is $j^{\mu }=\bar{\psi }{\gamma }^{\mu }\psi$. Under parity symmetry in quantum field theory,Invariance of the interaction therefore requires the electromagnetic four-potential to transform as the same Lorentz four-vector:so $A^0$ is parity even and $\mathbf{A}$ is parity odd. Under charge conjugation, the current is odd, $j^{\mu }\mapsto -j^{\mu }$, so invariance requires

The operator $ia\bar{\psi }{\sigma }^{\mu \nu }{\gamma }^5\psi F_{\mu \nu }$ is the relativistic fermion electric dipole moment operator. Its nonrelativistic limit contains $\mathbf{S}\cdot \mathbf{E}$: spin angular momentum is an axial vector, whereas the electric field is a polar vector. It is consequently odd under parity symmetry in quantum field theory. Both the pseudotensor fermion bilinear and the electromagnetic field tensor are odd under charge conjugation, so their product is even. ThereforeThe CPT theorem then makes it odd under time-reversal symmetry. Such an interaction can arise only from CP violation. The Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix therefore induces a nonzero Standard Model electric dipole moment at sufficiently high loop order, but its flavor structure and loop suppressions make the result extraordinarily small.