Past exam of the theoretical physics major option course of the University of Oxford / 2017 (A11049W1, C6)

Source paper: www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/oxford_physics_past_papers_2/response/2340696/attach/5/Physics%20Papers%202016.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1. The cover identifies Trinity Term 2017, 13 June; the bundle filename does not determine the examination year. We use $\hslash =c=1$ in the classical field theory and quantum field theory and lattice spacing one for the spin models.

Put $\beta =(k_{B}T{)}^{-1}$ and label the two spin values in the order $+1,-1$. Assign each bond its Boltzmann weight,The symmetry of the bond energy makes $V$ a real symmetric matrix. For a fixed configuration the product of successive matrix entries is its Boltzmann weight. Summing over all spins and identifying the last index with the first therefore giveswhereThis replaces a sum over $2^L$ configurations by the powers of a two-by-two matrix. For finite bond energies at $T>0$, every matrix entry is positive, so the Perron–Frobenius theorem gives ${\lambda }_{+}>0$ and $|{\lambda }_{-}|<{\lambda }_{+}$. Hence the Helmholtz free energy per spin tends to $-k_{B}T\log {\lambda }_{+}$. A diagonal local observable $O$ can be inserted at one site: $⟨O_1⟩=\mathrm{tr}(O{V}^L)/Z_L$. Its limiting average is the expectation in the normalized eigenvector of ${\lambda }_{+}$.

The sum needs a stated interpretation. The original equation leaves the second bond outside explicit parentheses, with its index then formally free. The natural translation-invariant, equal-bond interpretation used here is the energy $-J{\sum }_j{\tau }_j({\sigma }_j+{\sigma }_{j+1})$.

Let $K=\beta J$. Sum over each decorating spin before summing over the remaining spins. The decimation of an alternating mixed-spin chain gives the effective transfer matrix:No on-site entropy has been omitted: the term $1$ is the weight of the zero decorating spin. The normalized eigenvectors are $v_{\pm }=(1,\pm 1{)}^{\mathsf{T}}/\sqrt{2}$, with eigenvaluesThere are $L$ transfer steps but $2L$ physical sites, soThe free energy per two-site unit cell is twice this value. At $J=0$, the formula gives $Z_L=6^L$, as required by two states on one sublattice and three on the other. As $T\to 0$, the free energy per physical site tends to $-J$, the energy of an aligned chain with two satisfied bonds per unit cell. These checks also fix the factor of two in the site count.

Insert $D=\mathrm{diag}(1,-1)$ at the first undecorated site. In the eigenbasis of the transfer matrix, $D$ exchanges $v_{+}$ and $v_{-}$, and both diagonal matrix elements vanish. Explicitly,Thus its large-$L$ limit is zero at every fixed $T>0$. The result is exact even before taking that limit. Equivalently, simultaneous reversal of all spins pairs configurations of equal energy and opposite ${\sigma }_1$. Positivity of the transfer matrix at fixed positive temperature prevents a degenerate dominant eigenvalue and spontaneous magnetization in this one-dimensional zero-field chain. Selecting one aligned state at strictly zero temperature is a different order of limits.

Insert the decorating-spin observable into the one bond that contains it. The decorated-spin occupation insertion uses the matrix:The partition function still contains $L$ decorating-spin sums; one of them has been replaced by this weighted sum. HenceTaking the dominant eigenvector givesThis is the probability that the decorating site is in either nonzero state. It tends to $2/3$ at high temperature, when its three states are equally likely, and to one at low temperature, when the nonzero aligned states gain bond energy. Unlike the magnetization, this even observable is not forced to vanish by spin reversal.

Interpret the two displayed exchange components as belonging to the common nearest-neighbour sum with coefficient $-J$. Write $H_f=|h|$ and, for $h\ne 0$, $s=\mathrm{sgn}h$. The source explicitly fixes $J>0$ but does not separately constrain $h$ in this question; keeping $H_f$ covers either field direction.

For classical vectors of length $S$, define ${\mathbf{q}}_j=(S_j^x,S_j^y)$. The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality gives ${\mathbf{q}}_j\cdot {\mathbf{q}}_{j+1}\le |{\mathbf{q}}_j||{\mathbf{q}}_{j+1}|\le S^2$, and $h{S}_j^x\le H_{f}S$. Each term is therefore bounded below, soUniform alignment along the field saturates every bound:Equality requires all planar vectors to be parallel with length $S$, and the nonzero field then fixes their direction. At $h=0$, every uniformly oriented vector in the $xy$ plane is a classical ground state:A nonuniform configuration cannot improve these simultaneously saturated bond bounds, including on the periodic ring.

The Holstein–Primakoff transformation realizes a spin algebra using bosonic creation operators and bosonic annihilation operators. A boson counts a unit of spin deviation from the local positive quantization axis: ${\tilde{S}}^z=S-n$ with $n=a^{†}a$. The square root in ${\tilde{S}}^{+}$ supplies the correct spin-ladder matrix elements. In particular,Their commutator is $2(S-n)$ on every physical number state, reproducing the Spin commutation relations. Although the oscillator Fock space is infinite, the physical subspace is onlyThe order of the square root and oscillator operator matters in obtaining these coefficients.

When the spin deviations are dilute, expand the square root in $n/(2S)$. The leading transverse operators are linear in the bosonic creation operators and bosonic annihilation operators and turn exchange interactions into a quadratic Hamiltonian, which can be diagonalized. Higher powers describe interactions between spin waves. The method therefore organizes corrections by inverse powers of $S$ about an ordered classical configuration. Large $S$ alone is insufficient: the average depletion must remain small compared with $S$. Possible problems include the occupation constraint after truncation, noncollinear order requiring site-dependent axis rotations, zero modes, and infrared fluctuations that destroy the assumed dilute expansion.

Choose the local positive $\tilde{z}$ axis along the classical spin. For nonzero field, a proper rotation isIt preserves the Spin commutation relations and turns the field term into $-H_{f}S{\sum }_j{\tilde{S}}_j^z$. At zero field choose the classical direction $+x$, so $s=1$. Expanding about the original $z$ axis without this rotation would put the reference state away from the classical minimum and would not give a controlled small-deviation expansion.

To the required order,The longitudinal exchange gives $-J{S}^2+JS(n_j+n_{j+1})+O(S^0)$ on each bond. The transverse exchange givesFinally the field contributes its classical constant and $H_{f}S{n}_j$. Each site belongs to two bonds, so after removing the order-$S^2$ constant,These are the order-$S$ terms; the discarded products of number operators and the next square-root terms are order $S^0$ for occupations held fixed as $S\to \infty$. A different transverse-axis phase can reverse the sign of $B$ without changing the spectrum, but the sign above follows from the stated rotation and oscillator convention.

Use the unitary discrete Fourier transformThe transformed operators obey $[a_k,a_q^{†}]={\delta }_{kq}$. The hopping terms contribute $2A\cos k$ to the number coefficient. In the pairing sum, the odd sine part cancels between $k$ and $-k$. ThuswhereThe factor one half in the full momentum sum avoids counting an anomalous pair twice. For $H_f>0$, ${\alpha }_k>|{\Delta }_k|$ for every allowed momentum. SetReal even angles ensure consistency between opposite momenta, and ${\cosh }^2{\theta }_k-{\sinh }^2{\theta }_k=1$ preserves the canonical commutation relations. The anomalous coefficient becomes ${\Delta }_k\cosh 2{\theta }_k-{\alpha }_k\sinh 2{\theta }_k=0$. Normal ordering then giveswithThe field-polarized planar ferromagnetic spin wave has energy gap $ϵ(0)=S\sqrt{H_f(H_f+2J)}$. The momenta run over the whole Brillouin zone once, including the self-inverse momenta $0$ and, for even $L$, $\pi$; these use single-mode squeezing rather than introducing an extra independent partner.

The zero-field case has a zero-mode obstruction to bosonic Bogoliubov diagonalization. Its nonzero-momentum modes have $ϵ(k)=2\sqrt{2}JS|\sin (k/2)|$, but ${\alpha }_0={\Delta }_0=JS$, so no finite squeezing angle exists for the uniform mode. With $Q_0=(a_0+a_0^{†})/\sqrt{2}$, its Hamiltonian is $JS{Q}_0^2-JS/2$, not an identically zero oscillator. For example, its matrix element between the vacuum and the two-boson number state is $JS/\sqrt{2}$, whereas $ϵ(0)b_0^{†}{b}_0$ would vanish. Consequently the requested oscillator diagonalization is literal for nonzero field; at zero field treat the collective orientation separately or introduce a field regulator before taking a limit.

For nonzero field, the spin-wave ground state is the vacuum of all $b_k$. The inverse Bogoliubov transformation gives $⟨a_k^{†}{a}_q⟩={\delta }_{kq}{\sinh }^2{\theta }_k$ and vanishing one-point oscillator averages. Translational invariance therefore gives the depletionRotating back to the physical axes yields, to the retained spin-wave order,The zero transverse components also follow from rotation by $\pi$ about the physical $x$ axis in a symmetry-preserving ground state. The nonzero depletion describes zero-point quantum fluctuations: the original boson vacuum is not the ground state because the anomalous terms create pairs. It is nonnegative and must satisfy $\delta S\ll S$ for the expansion to be reliable. At strong field it tends to zero, with $\delta S\sim J^2/(8H_f^2)$ in the infinite-chain limit.

For fixed $H_f>0$, the momentum sum has a finite thermodynamic limit obtained by $L^{-1}{\sum }_k\to (2\pi {)}^{-1}{\int }_{-\pi }^{\pi }dk$. At zero field the uniform mode already has no oscillator vacuum, as explained in part d. Even after removing that mode, the nonzero modes behave asThus assigning a finite ordered moment by simply setting $h=0$ in the infinite momentum sum is invalid. The divergence indicates failure of this expansion about a fixed planar orientation; it is not a negative physical magnetization. At finite size an exact zero-field state chosen to have definite total $S^z$ has zero planar one-point magnetization by the continuous rotation symmetry. Establishing its full correlations requires a treatment beyond the divergent ordered-state approximation.

This is a birth-death master equation: $q_n$ is the transition rate $n\to n+1$ and $r_n$ is the transition rate $n\to n-1$. The first two terms are incoming probability flows from the adjacent states; the last removes probability at the total escape rate $q_n+r_n$. Rates must be nonnegative. For a population on the nonnegative integers, take $r_0=0$ and no incoming flux from negative states.

Summing over all states and shifting the two incoming indices givesThus an initially normalized probability distribution remains normalized. The cancellation assumes no boundary flux and legitimate summation; on an infinite state space this means the nonexplosive process or a boundary prescription that conserves total probability. All rates used in the later parts satisfy this requirement.

Multiply the master equation by $z^n$ and sum over $n$. Shifting indices producesThe apparent negative power causes no problem at $z=0$ when $r_0=0$. Let $D=z{\partial }_z$, so $D{z}^n=n{z}^n$. If the rates are polynomials in $n$, replace their arguments by $D$ to obtain a finite-order partial differential equation:For arbitrary rates the weighted sums still give an exact generating-function evolution, but need not reduce to a finite-order differential operator. The probability generating function obeyswhich is the normalization condition. The evolution has ${\partial }_{t}F(1,t)=0$ when the rate sums converge, so an initially normalized distribution stays normalized. Its derivatives at $z=1$ also give the factorial moments, and expansion around $z=0$ recovers individual probabilities.

For the Poisson process, $q_n=g$ and $r_n=0$, soThis is an ordinary differential equation in time for each fixed $z$, with solutionConsequentlyThe initial condition is interpreted as $P_0(0)=1$, with all other initial probabilities zero. Normalization follows from $F(1,t)=1$. The mean and variance are both $gt$, as expected for independent events arriving at constant rate.

With $n$ individuals, each of the $n$ can reproduce at rate $\lambda$ and independently die at rate $\lambda$. Thus the total birth and death rates are $q_n=r_n=\lambda n$. The gain into state $n$ comes from a birth in state $n-1$ and a death in state $n+1$, while its loss rate is $2\lambda n$. ThereforeAt $n=0$, the birth inflow from negative states is absent and ${\dot{P}}_0=\lambda P_1$. The empty state is absorbing: once the population reaches zero, neither process can restart it. Equal birth and death rates make this a critical branching process.

The rates in part d turn the generating-function equation intoFor the distribution of a critical linear birth-death population, the method of characteristics gives $\dot{z}=-\lambda (z-1{)}^2$ and $\dot{F}=0$. Setting $w=(1-z{)}^{-1}$ gives $\dot{w}=-\lambda$, so the initial characteristic coordinate is $w_0=w+\lambda t$. HenceIt has the correct initial value and $F(1,t)=1$. With $a=\lambda t$, rewrite the denominator as $(1+a)[1-az/(1+a)]$ and expand its geometric series. The probabilities areAt $t=0$ this is understood by continuity: $P_1=1$ and all other probabilities vanish. Summing the positive-state probabilities gives $1/(1+a)$, which together with $P_0$ verifies normalization directly.

There is eventual extinction with probability one, because $P_0(t)\to 1$. Nevertheless $⟨n⟩=F_z(1,t)=1$ at every finite time, while $\mathrm{Var}(n)=2\lambda t$. There is no contradiction: the increasingly rare surviving populations have conditional mean $⟨n\mid n>0⟩=1+\lambda t$. This is the distinction between a constant ensemble mean and survival of a typical realization.

The continuous internal global symmetry in field theory isBoth $|\phi {|}^2$ and ${\partial }_{\mu }{\phi }^{\ast }{\partial }^{\mu }\phi$ are unchanged. The group is the circle group, acting by phase rotations. The ordinary derivatives do not make it a local gauge symmetry: spacetime-dependent $\alpha$ would add derivative terms. There is also the discrete symmetry of complex conjugation; in the two-real-field description the full internal invariance is $O(2)$, whose connected component is this $U(1)$.

The scalar potential is $V=-m^2|\phi {|}^2+\lambda |\phi {|}^4/4$. Completing the square givesThe Hamiltonian density also contains the nonnegative terms $|\dot{\phi }{|}^2+|\nabla \phi {|}^2$. Its lowest-energy configurations therefore have no time or spatial variation and minimize the displayed square. ThusThe minima form a circle of phases. Selecting the real positive representative $\phi =v$ chooses one vacuum and spontaneously breaks the continuous global symmetry in field theory. The stationarity at $\phi =0$ is a local maximum of the radial potential, not the ground state.

Put $r=v+\sigma /\sqrt{2}$. Direct differentiation of $\phi =r{e}^{i\pi /f}$ cancels the mixed radial-angular terms, leavingUse $\lambda =2m^2/v^2$ from part b to expand the potential. The complete local expression isThe radial field is canonically normalized, giving $m_{\sigma }^2=2m^2$. For arbitrary $f$, the canonically normalized angular field is ${\pi }_c=\sqrt{2}v\pi /f$ and has zero mass:The interactions comprise radial cubic and quartic self-couplings, a derivative $\sigma \pi \pi$ coupling and a derivative $\sigma \sigma \pi \pi$ coupling. In canonical variables the latter coefficients are $1/(\sqrt{2}v)$ and $1/(4v^2)$ respectively. The additive constant shifts the vacuum energy and does not affect these masses or interactions.

The original phase symmetry becomes the exact shift $\pi \mapsto \pi +f\alpha$, with $\sigma$ unchanged. Any undifferentiated polynomial ${\pi }^3$ or ${\pi }^4$ would violate this shift, so such terms are absent. This argument allows derivative interactions; it forbids an angular potential. The massless angular excitation is the Goldstone boson for the broken global $U(1)$.

Choose the current convention corresponding to $\delta \phi =i\alpha \phi$. Noether's theorem givesFor the requested terms with no $\sigma$ and $f=\sqrt{2}v$, the Lagrangian is $\frac{1}{2}(\partial \pi {)}^2$ and the current becomes $J^{\mu }=f{\partial }^{\mu }\pi$. The supplied covariant oscillator normalization cancels the invariant measure when the annihilation operator contracts with $a^{†}(p)$, soThe momentum is on the massless shell, $p^2=0$. Differentiating once more therefore givesThis Goldstone current matrix element in a phase-only scalar theory shows that a conserved current can have a nonzero matrix element proportional to a null momentum. Thus current conservation is fully consistent with the current creating a massless one-particle state from the vacuum; the nonzero coefficient $f$ is its Goldstone-current coupling. It is the divergence that vanishes, not the current matrix element. Reversing the current convention reverses the nonzero matrix element but leaves this zero divergence unchanged.

The Proca action is invariant under spacetime translations and proper continuous Lorentz transformations, together forming the connected Poincaré group. The fixed nonzero mass excludes scale invariance. In four dimensions, a dimensionless action and the canonical kinetic term implyThese are mass dimensions. The field-strength term is invariant under $A_{\mu }\to A_{\mu }+{\partial }_{\mu }\chi$, but the mass term is not: its change contains $m_A^2{A}^{\mu }{\partial }_{\mu }\chi +\frac{1}{2}{m}_A^2(\partial \chi {)}^2$. Thus the displayed massive-vector theory has no Maxwell-type local gauge invariance. The massless limit has a different constraint structure.

Varying the vector field gives the Proca equation,Its divergence uses antisymmetry of $F^{\mu \nu }$ to cancel the first term. Since $m_A\ne 0$,For an on-shell momentum this imposes $p_{\nu }{ϵ}^{\nu }=0$ on the four polarization components, leaving three independent solutions. In the rest frame, $p=(m_A,0)$ makes ${ϵ}^0=0$, leaving precisely the three spatial polarizations of a massive spin-one particle.

There is no fourth independent oscillator hidden in $A^0$. Its canonical momentum is zero because the Lagrangian has no ${\dot{A}}^0$, and the temporal equation constrains $A^0$ in terms of the spatial data. Equivalently the primary and secondary second-class constraints remove two variables from the eight-dimensional phase space, leaving six phase-space variables, or three physical degrees of freedom.

Take $p^{\mu }=(e,0,0,k)$ with $e^2=k^2+m_A^2$. A real orthonormal basis that satisfies the source's stated bilinear normalization isEach obeys $p\cdot {ϵ}_i=0$. The two transverse norms are $-1$, while ${ϵ}_L^2=(k^2-e^2)/m_A^2=-1$, and all cross products vanish. For momentum in the opposite direction, one consistent longitudinal choice is ${ϵ}_L(-k)=(k,0,0,-e)/m_A$ for $k>0$; an overall sign of any polarization is immaterial.

Here $+$ and $-$ label the two linear transverse basis vectors. If those symbols are intended to denote circular helicities, choose ${ϵ}_{\pm }^{\mathrm{hel}}=({ϵ}_x\pm i{ϵ}_y)/\sqrt{2}$ instead. The corresponding orthonormality relation must contain complex conjugation, ${ϵ}_i^{\ast }\cdot {ϵ}_j=-{\delta }_{ij}$. Without that conjugation, a circular polarization has ${ϵ}_{+}^{\mathrm{hel}}\cdot {ϵ}_{+}^{\mathrm{hel}}=0$, a concrete counterexample to interpreting the printed bilinear condition as a helicity normalization.

For longitudinal-vector annihilation through a scalar contact interaction, first use the supplied vertex $2i{g}^2{\eta }_{\mu \nu }$. Let $s=(p_1+p_2{)}^2$ and work in the center-of-mass frame. The amplitude is $\mathcal{M}=2g^2{ϵ}_1\cdot {ϵ}_2$, up to its overall phase. For two longitudinal incoming vectors,This grows as $s^2/m_A^4$, whereas transverse amplitudes stay of order $g^2$ and mixed longitudinal-transverse amplitudes vanish in this frame. Consequently the leading high-energy contribution is longitudinal.

For an unpolarized total cross section, average over the $3\times 3$ incoming polarizations. The massive-vector polarization sum givesThe identical final scalars require a factor $1/2!$ in the two-body phase space. With ${\beta }_A=\sqrt{1-4m_A^2/s}$ and ${\beta }_h=\sqrt{1-4m_h^2/s}$, the angle-independent result isFor a prepared longitudinal pair there is no incoming polarization average, giving insteadThere is no extra initial-state factor $1/2$: a cross section uses the incoming beam flux, while the final-state factor removes double counting of indistinguishable outgoing states.

Define the energy in the stated bound to be the total center-of-mass energy, $E=\sqrt{s}$. Equating the leading expressions to $4\pi /E^2$ givesfor $m_A=100\mathrm{GeV}$ and $g=0.4$. The second value shows that a longitudinal channel reaches the supplied perturbative bound earlier. If the source's unspecified $E$ denotes the energy of one incoming particle and the bound is literally $4\pi /E^2$, substitute $s=4E^2$ instead: the corresponding values are $1.83\mathrm{TeV}$ unpolarized and $1.05\mathrm{TeV}$ longitudinal. Stating the energy and polarization conventions is necessary for a numerical answer.

Interaction-normalization qualification: the written ${\mathcal{L}}_{\mathrm{int}}=g^2{A}_{\mu }{A}^{\mu }{h}^2$ differentiates to $4i{g}^2{\eta }_{\mu \nu }$, because there are $2!$ vector assignments and $2!$ scalar assignments. For example, differentiating $g^2(A^0{)}^2{h}^2$ twice in each variable gives $4g^2$. The supplied $2i{g}^2{\eta }_{\mu \nu }$ would instead follow from ${\mathcal{L}}_{\mathrm{int}}=g^2{A}_{\mu }{A}^{\mu }{h}^2/2$. Thus all cross sections above follow the explicitly requested rule. Using the literal written interaction multiplies them by four and divides every quoted threshold energy by $\sqrt{2}$. The energy growth itself is the physical issue: a contact interaction of massive longitudinal vectors needs additional dynamics before its perturbative high-energy extrapolation becomes reliable.

Introduce three independent local parameters ${\alpha }_j(x)$. A consistent convention for the three Abelian gauge transformations isIndeed, $g(B_{\mu }^k-q{B}_{\mu }^{k+1})$ shifts by $-{\partial }_{\mu }({\alpha }_k-q{\alpha }_{k+1})$, cancelling the derivative of the scalar phase. Thus $D_{\mu }{\varphi }_k$ transforms by the same phase as ${\varphi }_k$. The two kinetic terms, the absolute-value potentials and all Abelian field strengths are invariant.

In units where the gauge coupling is $g$, the charge vectors under the three factors areLocally this is the gauge algebra of $U(1{)}^3$. To interpret it globally as three compact circle groups, the charges must belong to a compatible charge lattice: in the stated unit-charge convention integer $q$ is sufficient, while arbitrary irrational $q$ is not a single-valued compact-group representation. The local transformations and mass calculation remain meaningful for general positive real $q$ as a Lie-algebra calculation, or with noncompact Abelian factors.

For this three-site Abelian Higgs chain, the potential is minimized by $|{\varphi }_1|=|{\varphi }_2|=v$. Choose their phases real in a local unitary gauge. The scalar kinetic terms then givewhere Lorentz contractions are understood andThe nonzero eigenvalues of $K$ equal those ofnamely $1+q^2-q$ and $1+q^2+q$. The third eigenvalue is zero because $R$ has rank two. Both nonzero eigenvalues are positive for $q>0$.