QFT II Homework 5

Evan Rule
April 16, 2017

1. The 2D (1+1 dimension) Gross-Neveu model is given by the Lagrangian

density
N N
!2
1X 1 g2 X
L= / i+
i i i i , (1)
2 i 4N i

for i = 1, ..., N . The field is a Majorana fermion. We consider the limit

N holding g fixed. Answer the following questions.

(a) Majorana fermions can exist only in spacetime dimensions d = 2, 3, 4 (mod

8). A Majorana field is real = together with purely imaginary gamma
matrices, so that the Dirac equation (i/ m) = 0 is consistent with the reality
condition. For instance, we can take 0 = 2 , 1 = i 1 for d = 2 that satisfy
the Clifford algebra { , } = 2g . Show that the reality condition implies
ap = bp in

d3 p
Z
1 p~
i~ x
X
asp~ us (~
p) + bs~p v s (~


(~x) = e p) , (2)
(2)3 2Ep
p
s=1,2

namely that the particle and anti-particle are identical.

Solution: Taking the complex conjugate yields

d3 p
Z
1 X s s

(~x) = e i~p~
x
as s
p u (p) + b p v (p)
(2)3 2Ep
p
s
(3)
d3 p
Z
1 p~
i~ x
X  s
s s s

= e ap u (p) + bp v (p) .
(2)3 2Ep
p
s

In d = 2, we may choose our spin basis such that u(p) = v(p), which implies
that
asp us (p) = bs s
p u (p), (4)
so that
asp = bsp (5)
for a Majorana fermion.

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(b) Given that the field i is real, the Lagrangian has O(N ) symmetry. In
addition, show that there is a Z2 symmetry i 5 i , where 5 = 0 1 , which
anti-commutes with both 0,1 . Also show that this Z2 symmetry forbids the
mass term for the fermion.

Solution: Given the transformation of , we find that

i = i 0 5 i 0 = i 5 0 = i 5 , (6)

and therefore the kinetic term transforms as

/ i i 5 i ( 5 i ) = ( 5 )2 i i
i i / i = i i.
/ (7)

The fact that

i i i 5 5 i = i i (8)
implies that the interaction term is invariant under this Z2 symmetry but also
forbids the existence of the mass term because of the change of sign.

(c) We can rewrite the Lagrangian using the auxiliary field :

N N
!2 N
!2
1X N g2 X 1 g2 X
L= / i 2
i i + i i + i i
2 i 4g N i 4N i
(9)
N N
1X N 1 X
= / i 2 2
i i i i ,
2 i 4g 2 i

and rescale i N i ,
N N
!
1X 1 1 X
L=N / i 2 2
i i i . (10)
2 i 4g 2 i

Discuss why only the one-loop diagram of in the presence of the external
lines needs to be included in the large N limit.

Solution: Looking at the Lagrangian, we see that every or i propagator

will contain a factor of N 1 and each vertex will contribute a factor of N .
Therefore the total number of factors of N in a diagram with P propagators
and V vertices is given by

N = V P = 1 L, (11)

where we have used the topological constraint

L = P V + 1. (12)

Given the interaction vertex , there are no tree level diagrams which contain
only external lines. Therefore the dominant contribution to these diagrams

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will be the one loop diagrams, which go like N 0 . All higher loop diagrams are
suppressed by higher factors of 1/N .

(d) Obtain the effective potential for in the large N limit by integrating over
, and minimize it to find the ground state. Note that the fermionic integral
comes with a minus sign relative to that of the bosonic integral. Given that a
Majorana fermion in 2D has only one degree of freedom

m2 (cl )
 
1
V = + m2 (cl ) log 1 , (13)
8 2

for each fermion species.

Solution: Since our goal is to compute the effective potential, we take the
auxiliary field to be a constant (x) = 0 . Anticipating that we will eventually
need to use dimensional regularization, we work in d dimensions. In order for
the coupling to remain dimensionless, we must introduce a term with mass
dimension 1 2d
0 i i 2 0 i i . (14)
Then the functional integral over fermion fields is
Z  Z    h  iN/2
2d 2d
Di Di exp i dd xi i/ 2 0 i = Det i/ 2 0 ,
(15)

where Det denotes a functional determinant. Since i has only one real degree
of freedom the determinant is raised to the power N/2 instead of N . To compute
this determinant, we first use the trick
 2d
  2d

Det i/ 2 0 = exp Tr log i/ 2 0 , (16)

where Tr denotes both a functional trace and a matrix trace. Now we Fourier
transform and take the functional trace over position:
 2d
 Z dd p Z  2d

Tr log i/ 2 0 = d
dd x tr log p/ 2 0 , (17)
(2)

where tr is now just the matrix trace. Now we use the fact that
 2d
  2d

tr log p/ 2 0 = log det p/ 2 0 (18)

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and compute
 2d
  2d

/ 2 0 = det p0 p1 2 0 1
0 1
det p
     
0 i 0 1 2d 1 0
= det p0 ip1 2 0
i 0 1 0 0 1
" 2d
!#
2 0 ip0 ip1
= det 2d
ip0 ip1 2 0
= p2 + 2d 02 .
(19)

Hence
dd p
  Z Z
2d
d
log p2 + 2d 02


Tr log i/ 2 0 = d x
(2)d
! (20)
i d2
Z

= dd x d/2
.
(4)d/2 (2d 02 )

Taking d = 2 2 yields

i02
Z   
 2 4 1
+ 1 1 +  log 2



Tr log i/ 0 = d x 1 +  log 2
4 0 
2 2
Z  
2 i 0 1
= d x + log 2 + 1 + log 4 .
4  0
(21)

Renormalizing using MS, we set

 
1 1 N 1
= + + log 4 , (22)
4g02 4g 2 8 

so that after integrating out the fermionic fields, we have

02 02
Z  Z    
2 1 2
D exp i d x N 1 log 2 2 0 (23)
8 4g

The effective action is

2 2
Z    
1
d2 x N 0 1 log 02 2 02 , (24)
8 4g

from which we identify the effective potential

2 2
 
1
Vef f (0 ) = 2 02 + N 0 log 02 1 . (25)
4g 8

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Minimizing this potential yields

Vef f 1 N 2
2 = 2+ log 02 = 0
0 4g 8
2 (26)
= 02 = 2 e2/g N

2
= 0 = e/g N
.

This non-zero VEV generates a non-zero mass term for the fermions:

0 i i , (27)

which breaks chiral symmetry. Although the VEV is renormalization scheme de-
pendent, the chiral symmetry breaking is not because the VEV will be non-zero
in all schemes and so the same symmetry-breaking mass term will be generated.

(e) Work out the 1PI two-point function for and show that it has a zero
at p2 = 4m2 . Namely is a bound state of two fermions with zero binding
energy.

Solution: