Free Dirac Theory Research Articles

Full counting statistics in the free Dirac theory

We study charge transport and fluctuations of the (3+1)-dimensional massive free Dirac theory. In particular, we focus on the steady state that emerges following a local quench whereby two independently thermalized halves of the system are connected and let to evolve unitarily for a long time. Based on the two-time von Neumann measurement statistics and exact computations, the scaled cumulant generating function associated with the charge transport is derived. We find that it can be written as a generalization of Levitov–Lesovik formula to the case in three spatial dimensions. In the massless case, we note that only the first four scaled cumulants are nonzero. Our results provide also a direct confirmation for the validity of the extended fluctuation relation in higher dimensions. An application of our approach to Lifshitz fermions is also briefly discussed.

Dynamical mean field study of the Dirac liquid

Renormalization is one of the basic notions of condensed matter physics. Based on the concept of renormalization, the Landau’s Fermi liquid theory has been able to explain, why despite the presence of Coulomb interactions, the free electron theory works so well for simple metals with extended Fermi surface (FS). The recent synthesis of graphene has provided the condensed matter physicists with a low energy laboratory of Dirac fermions where instead of a FS, one has two Fermi points. Many exciting phenomena in graphene can be successfully interpreted in terms of free Dirac electrons. In this paper, employing dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), we show that an interacting Dirac sea is essentially an effective free Dirac theory. This observation suggests the notion of Dirac liquid as a fixed point of interacting 2 + 1 dimensional Dirac fermions. We find one more fixed point at strong interactions describing a Mott insulating state, and address the nature of semi-metal to insulator (SMIT) transition in this system.

Effect of nonmagnetic disorder on criticality in the dirty U(1) spin liquid

We investigate the effect of nonmagnetic disorder on the stability of the algebraic spin liquid ($ASL$) by deriving an effective field theory, nonlinear $\sigma$ model ($NL{\sigma}M$). We find that the anomalous critical exponent characterizing the criticality of the $ASL$ causes an anomalous gradient in the $NL{\sigma}M$. We show that the sign of the anomalous gradient exponent or the critical exponent of the $ASL$ determines the stability of the "dirty" $ASL$. A positive exponent results in an unstable fixed point separating delocalized and localized phases, which is consistent with our previous study [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 70}, 140405 (2004)]. We find power law suppression for the density of spinon states in contrast to the logarithmic correction in the free Dirac theory. On the other hand, a negative exponent destabilizes the $ASL$, causing the Anderson localization. We discuss the implication of our study in the pseudogap phase of high $T_c$ cuprates.

Two-point correlation functions of scaling fields in the Dirac theory on the Poincaré disk

A result from Palmer, Beatty and Tracy suggests that the two-point function of certain spinless scaling fields in a free Dirac theory on the Poincaré disk can be described in terms of Painlevé VI transcendents. We complete and verify this description by fixing the integration constants in the Painlevé VI transcendent describing the two-point function, and by calculating directly in a Dirac theory on the Poincaré disk the long distance expansion of this two-point function and the relative normalization of its long and short distance asymptotics. The long distance expansion is obtained by developing the curved-space analogue of a form factor expansion, and the relative normalization is obtained by calculating the one-point function of the scaling fields in question. The long distance expansion in fact provides part of the solution to the connection problem associated with the Painlevé VI equation involved. Calculations are done using the formalism of angular quantization.

A model of CPT violation for neutrinos

Any local relativistic quantum field theory of Dirac–Weyl fermions conserves CPT. Here we examine whether a simple nonlocal field theory can violate CPT. We construct a new relativistic field theory of fermions, which we call “homeotic”, which is nonlocal but causal and Lorentz invariant. The free homeotic theory is in fact equivalent to free Dirac theory. We show that a homeotic theory with a suitable nonlocal four-fermion interaction is causal and as a result has a well-defined perturbative S-matrix. By coupling a right-handed homeotic fermion to a left-handed Dirac–Weyl fermion, we obtain a causal theory of CPT-violating neutrino oscillations.

Three aspects of bosonized supersymmetry and linear differential field equation with reflection

Recently it was observed by one of the authors that supersymmetric quantum mechanics (SUSYQM) admits a formulation in terms of only one bosonic degree of freedom. Such a construction, called the minimally bosonized SUSYQM, appeared in the context of integrable systems and dynamical symmetries. We show that the minimally bosonized SUSYQM can be obtained from Witten's SUSYQM by applying to it a non-local unitary transformation with a subsequent reduction to one of the eigenspaces of the total reflection operator. The transformation depends on the parity operator, and the deformed Heisenberg algebra with reflection, intimately related to parabosons and parafermions, emerges here in a natural way. It is shown that the minimally bosonized SUSYQM can also be understood as a supersymmetric two-fermion system. With this interpretation, the bosonization construction is generalized to the case of N = 1 supersymmetry in two dimensions. The same special unitary transformation diagonalizes the Hamiltonian operator of the 2D massive free Dirac theory. The resulting Hamiltonian is not a square root like in the Foldy-Wouthuysen case, but is linear in spatial derivative. Subsequent reduction to the ‘up’ or ‘down’ field component gives rise to a linear differential equation with reflection whose ‘square’ is the massive Klein-Gordon equation. In the massless limit this becomes the self-dual Weyl equation. The linear differential equation with reflection admits generalizations to higher dimensions and can be consistently coupled to gauge fields. The bosonized SUSYQM can also be generated applying the non-local unitary transformation to the Dirac field in the background of a non-linear scalar field in a kink configuration.

Remark on conservation laws in free-field theories

For the case of the free Dirac theory it is shown that additional conserved currents exist. They are connected with nonlocal symmetry transformations. They are characteristic of all free theories and hence incompatible with any interaction. Nevertheless, attention has to be paid to this feature, for example if one tries to derive currents by essentially using free-field commutation relations.