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In the Weyl representation of the gamma matrices, $C=i{\gamma }^2{\gamma }^0=\mathrm{diag}(\epsilon ,-\epsilon )$ with $\epsilon =i{\tau }_2$. The antisymmetry of $\epsilon$ gives $C^T=-C$, and direct multiplication gives $C{\gamma }^{\mu T}{C}^{-1}=-{\gamma }^{\mu }$ and $C^{†}C=I$. Any two such intertwining matrices differ by a scalar: their ratio commutes with all gamma matrices, whose products span the full four-by-four matrix algebra. Changing spinor basis sends $C$ to $SC{S}^T$, so transpose antisymmetry is basis-independent. Its sign is therefore fixed, not merely one of the two alternatives supplied by the general transpose symmetry of a charge-conjugation matrix argument.

For the Dirac representation of the gamma matrices, the unitary matrixsends ${\tilde{\gamma }}^0$ to $\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& I_2\\ I_2& 0\end{array}\right)$ while commuting with every spatial gamma matrix. This is the standard Weyl representation of the gamma matrices with spatial blocks $(0,{\sigma }^i;-{\sigma }^i,0)$. The similarity transformation preserves the Clifford algebra relations. Changing block-order or chirality conventions can change the displayed transformation, so its direction must be specified.

In the standard Weyl representation of the gamma matrices and mostly-minus metric signature, the left chirality component obeys $i({\partial }_t-\mathbf{\sigma }\cdot \nabla ){\chi }_L=0$. A plane wave with $p^0>0$ exists precisely on the massless mass shell $p^0=|\mathbf{p}|$. Its coefficient is a negative helicity eigenspinor. For direction angles $\vartheta ,\phi$, one normalized choice isThe nonzero solution is unique up to overall normalization and phase. Different patches are required for a continuous phase choice over all directions; the direction of zero momentum is undefined.

Write $I=I_2$. The Pauli matrix multiplication law gives ${\sigma }^i{\sigma }^j+{\sigma }^j{\sigma }^i=2{\delta }^{ij}I$. Block multiplication of the Weyl representation of the gamma matrices givesandThus the mixed time-space anticommutators vanish, the time-time anticommutator is $2I_4$, and the spatial anticommutators are $-2{\delta }^{ij}{I}_4$. Together these prove the Clifford algebra identityThe negative spatial sign comes from the lower-left block of each spatial gamma matrix.

Use the PDF's convention in which $C$ multiplies ${\psi }^{\ast }$, rather than ${\bar{\psi }}^T$. Its unitarity converts the given gamma matrix identity intoApplying it twice givesFor real infinitesimal Lorentz transformation parameters,Therefore ${\psi }^c=C{\psi }^{\ast }$ transforms in exactly the same spinor representation as $\psi$. The coordinate pullback is real and transforms identically as well. This is the antilinear charge-conjugation intertwiner relation; exponentiating also gives $C{S}^{\ast }=SC$ for connected transformations.

For real mass, complex conjugation of the free Dirac equation gives $(-i{\gamma }^{\mu \ast }{\partial }_{\mu }-m){\psi }^{\ast }=0$. Multiply by $C$ and move it through the gamma matrices:ThusAs an explicit check, in the given Weyl representation of the gamma matrices one may take $C=i{\gamma }^2$. It is unitary and obeys the required conjugation identity. The free-equation conclusion does not assert that a charge-conjugated field retains the same charge in a fixed electromagnetic background.

Use the metric $g^{\mu \nu }=\mathrm{diag}(1,-1,-1,-1)$ and $\{{\gamma }^{\mu },{\gamma }^{\nu }\}=2g^{\mu \nu }$. Transposing a product reverses its order but does not conjugate the factor $i$. Thus the charge-conjugation matrix identity giveswhere reversing the four distinct gamma matrices requires six exchanges. Similarly,

To fix the transpose sign, work in the Weyl representation of the gamma matrices:The Pauli identity checks $C_0{\gamma }^{\mu T}{C}_0^{-1}=-{\gamma }^{\mu }$ directly, and ${\epsilon }^T=-\epsilon$ gives $C_0^T=-C_0$, with $C_0^{†}{C}_0=I$. Any other intertwiner differs from $C_0$ by a scalar: its ratio with $C_0$ commutes with all gamma matrices, whose products span the full four-by-four matrix algebra. A matrix commuting with all matrix units is scalar. Under a spinor basis change $S$, the intertwiner becomes $S{C}_0{S}^T$, whose transpose is still its negative. Therefore in every such four-component representationThis proves the antisymmetry of the four-dimensional charge-conjugation matrix, rather than leaving the sign undetermined by the general transpose argument.

Hermitian conjugating the charged Dirac equation, using real $A_{\mu },e,m$ and ${\gamma }^0{\gamma }^{\mu †}{\gamma }^0={\gamma }^{\mu }$, gives the adjoint Dirac equationTranspose it and multiply by $C$. Since $C{\gamma }^{\mu T}=-{\gamma }^{\mu }C$, the field ${\psi }^c=C{\bar{\psi }}^T$ obtained by charge conjugation obeysThus algebraic charge conjugation reverses the electromagnetic coupling.

If ${\gamma }_5\psi =\eta \psi$, $\eta =\pm 1$, Hermiticity of ${\gamma }_5$ and its anticommutation with ${\gamma }^0$ implyUsing the first transpose identity,Hence $\boxed{\bar{\psi }{\gamma }_5=-\eta \bar{\psi },{\gamma }_5{\psi }^c=-\eta {\psi }^c}$: algebraic charge conjugation reverses chirality. This concerns conjugating the already projected spinor, not the distinct operation of keeping a chiral projector outside an operator conjugation.

For the Grassmann variation of a chiral Majorana mass term, variations of odd fields must be moved past odd fields with a minus sign. If $A^T=-A$, componentwise reordering givesBoth $C$ and $C^{-1}$ are antisymmetric. Treating $\psi ,\bar{\psi }$ independently, integrating the kinetic variation by parts, and placing varied Grassmann fields on the left givesThe factors two from variation cancel the mass-term factors $1/2$. The first coefficient gives one equation; multiplying the second by $C$ gives the other:The variations can be restricted to their chiral subspaces: the two terms in each equation have the same opposite output chirality, so no inactive component equation has been imposed.

Applying $i/\partial$ to the first equation and substituting the second, using $(i/\partial {)}^2=-\square$, givesA phase rotation removes the phase of $m$, and combining the chiral field with its conjugate then gives a Majorana fermion of this mass, not two independent chiral species.

Let $\chi ={\varphi }^{\prime †}\Psi$ and $\bar{\chi }=\bar{\Psi }{\varphi }^{\prime }$. Question 1 shows they are gauge singlets, so both terms in ${\mathcal{L}}_G=G{\chi }^T{C}^{-1}\chi -G^{\ast }\bar{\chi }C{\bar{\chi }}^T$ preserve electroweak gauge invariance. The original PDF has $C^{-1}$ in the first term; the TeX aid incorrectly replaces it by $G^{-1}$. At the Higgs field vacuum,soComparing with the just-derived chiral mass equations yields the Majorana neutrino mass from the Weinberg operator:For nonzero $G$ this generates a mass without introducing a right-handed neutrino. Under lepton number rotation $\Psi \mapsto e^{i\alpha }\Psi$, the first operator acquires $e^{2i\alpha }$ and its conjugate acquires $e^{-2i\alpha }$. Thus the interaction violates lepton number by $\boxed{\Delta L=2}$. Each composite contains one scalar of mass dimension one and one fermion of dimension $3/2$, so the interaction is dimension five and $G$ has dimension $-1$. This is the Weinberg operator, an effective extension of the minimal renormalizable Standard Model, consistent with the absence of bare quadratic masses in Question 1.

A Dirac-to-Weyl gamma-matrix similarity transform with the required signs isIt is a unitary matrix, with $U^{-1}=U^{†}=2^{-1/2}\left(\begin{array}{cc}{I}_2& I_2\\ -I_2& I_2\end{array}\right)$. Multiplication givesThe matrix $U$ commutes with every ${\tilde{\gamma }}^i$: their common block structure uses the same antisymmetric $2\times 2$ block matrix, and the scalar blocks of $U$ commute with each Pauli matrix. Hence $U{\tilde{\gamma }}^i{U}^{-1}={\tilde{\gamma }}^i$, exactly the spatial matrices specified in the Weyl representation of the gamma matrices. A similarity transformation preserves every Clifford algebra relation, so no new consistency check is needed for the transformed representation.

In either the displayed Dirac representation of the gamma matrices or the displayed Weyl representation of the gamma matrices, the spatial blocks giveThe Pauli matrix commutator identity $[{\sigma }^j,{\sigma }^k]=2i{ϵ}^{jkl}{\sigma }^l$ therefore yieldsThe Levi-Civita symbol is normalized by ${ϵ}^{123}=1$. The constant is $-i/2$, consistent with rotation generators represented by skew-Hermitian matrices under the chosen Lorentz algebra convention. For $j=k$ both sides vanish automatically.

The Dirac spinor representation is the four-dimensional representation $(\frac{1}{2},0)\oplus (0,\frac{1}{2})$ of the connected Lorentz group. It is characterized byForone may takewith the signs of ${\Omega }_{\rho \sigma }$ fixed by the displayed vector-representation convention. This formula follows by differentiating the covariance relation and using the Clifford algebra $\{{\gamma }^{\mu },{\gamma }^{\nu }\}=2{\eta }^{\mu \nu }$; moving both gamma indices upstairs changes the apparent parameter signs according to the metric.

Use the Weyl representation of the gamma matrices,

In the Weyl representation of the gamma matrices,A Lorentz transformation acts as ${\psi }^{\prime }(x^{\prime })=S(\Lambda )\psi (x)$ with $S(\Lambda )=\exp [-\frac{i}{4}{\omega }_{\mu \nu }{\sigma }^{\mu \nu }]$. In this basis a boost is block diagonal and gives $u_L\mapsto e^{\mathbf{\chi }\cdot \mathbf{\sigma }/2}{u}_L$ and $u_R\mapsto e^{-\mathbf{\chi }\cdot \mathbf{\sigma }/2}{u}_R$.

For boosts, the two exponentials cancel in $u_L^{†}{u}_R$; for rotations, the unitary rotation and its inverse cancel. Hence this bilinear is a Lorentz scalar. The Pauli matrices obey the identityshows that $i{\sigma }^2{u}_L^{\ast }$ acquires the right-handed boost matrix and the usual rotation matrix, so it is right-handed.