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An orbital angular momentum eigenstate with quantum number $\ell$ changes by the factor $(-1{)}^{\ell }$ under spatial reflection. Equivalently,

Parity is the eigenvalue $+1$ or $-1$ of a state under spatial reflection.

A parity-odd scalar interaction is rotationally invariant but changes sign under spatial reflection. It must contain a pseudoscalar contraction, such as a Levi-Civita symbol contracted with three spatial gradients.

Parity symmetry means invariance under spatial reflection, together with the intrinsic transformation rules of the fields.

The parity of a wavefunction is its eigenvalue under spatial reflection: $\psi (-x)=+\psi (x)$ for even parity and $\psi (-x)=-\psi (x)$ for odd parity. If $V(-x)=V(x)$, the Hamiltonian commutes with reflection, so its energy eigenspaces admit a parity eigenbasis. In particular, every nondegenerate bound-state energy eigenfunction has definite parity; within a degenerate scattering eigenspace one must choose the even and odd linear combinations.

Under spatial reflection, a scalar field obeys $P\varphi (\mathbf{x})P=\varphi (-\mathbf{x})$, and hence each spatial derivative changes sign. The interaction contains three such derivatives, so changing the integration variable from $\mathbf{x}$ to $-\mathbf{x}$ givesThus this is a parity-odd scalar interaction.

Put $O({\mathbf{k}}_a)={\prod }_{a=1}^n{\varphi }_a({\mathbf{k}}_a)$ and $A({\mathbf{k}}_a)=⟨H_{\mathrm{int}}O({\mathbf{k}}_a)⟩$. Hermitian conjugation and commutativity of equal-time scalar fields giveThe parity-invariant vacuum and the odd parity of $H_{\mathrm{int}}$ imply $A(-{\mathbf{k}}_a)=-A({\mathbf{k}}_a)$. ThereforeThere is no conflict with the usual $2i\mathrm{Im}A$ rule for two Hermitian operators: a momentum-space product at fixed ${\mathbf{k}}_a$ is generally not itself Hermitian, since its adjoint carries momenta $-{\mathbf{k}}_a$.

Under spatial reflection, ${\varphi }^{\prime }(t,\mathbf{x})={\gamma }_p\varphi (t,-\mathbf{x})$, soBecause ${\gamma }_p^2=1$, the Lorentz scalar ${\partial }_{\mu }\varphi {\partial }^{\mu }\varphi$ and the mass term $m^2{\varphi }^2$ are unchanged after evaluating at the reflected point. The spatial change of variables $\mathbf{x}\mapsto -\mathbf{x}$ has unit absolute Jacobian, so the action of the free real scalar field is invariant.

A pseudoscalar is invariant under proper rotations but changes sign under a spatial reflection. In three dimensions the scalar triple product is a pseudoscalar.