Extensively revised version with several misprints and formulas corrected. In this new version we included the non-perturbative Lande g-factor and Bohr magneton
It is shown that in non-perturbative massless QED an anomalous magnetic moment is dynamically induced by an applied magnetic field. The induced magnetic moment produces a Zeeman splitting for electrons in Landau levels higher than $l=0$. The expressions for the non-perturbative Lande g-factor and Bohr magneton are obtained. Possible applications of this effect are outlined.
We report on two recent results based on the evaluation of five-loop massless propagators in QCD and QED: (i) corrections of order $α_s^4$ to the absorptive part of the polarization function in QCD with $n_f=3$;(ii) the five-loop contribution to the $β$ function of quenched QED.
Starting from the photon self-energy tensor in a magnetized medium, the 3D complete antisymmetric form of the conductivity tensor is found in the static limit of a fermion system $C$ non-invariant under fermion-antifermion exchange. The massless relativistic 2D fermion limit in QED is derived by using the compactification along the dimension parallel to the magnetic field. In the static limit and at zero temperature the main features of quantum Hall effect (QHE) are obtained: the half-integer QHE and the minimum value proportional to $e^2/h$ for the Hall conductivity . For typical values of gr…
The transverse part of the three-point Green function of massless QED is determined to the lowest order in position space. Taken together with the evaluation of the longitudinal part in arXiv:0803.2630, this gives a relation for QED which is analogous to the star-triangle relation. We relate our result to conformal-invariant three-point functions.
A simple general proof of gauge invariance in QED is given in the framework of causal perturbation theory. It illustrates a method which can also be used in non-abelian gauge theories.
We study the gauge-covariance of the massless fermion propagator in reduced Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). Starting from its value in some gauge, we evaluate an all order expression for it in another gauge by means of the Landau-Khalatnikov-Fradkin transformation. We find that the weak coupling expansions thus derived are in perfect agreement with the exact calculations. We also prove that the fermion anomalous dimension of reduced QED is gauge invariant to all orders of perturbation theory except for the first one.
We calculate the three- and four-loop corrections to the massless fermion propagator in three-dimensional quenched Quantum Electrodynamics with four-component fermions. The three-loop correction is finite and gauge invariant but the four-loop one has singularities except in the Feynman gauge where it is also finite. Our results explicitly show that, up to four loops, gauge-dependent terms are completely determined by lower order ones in agreement with the Landau-Khalatnikov-Fradkin transformation.
Vacuum expectation values of products of local bilinears $\barψψ$ are computed in massless $QED_2$ at finite density. It is shown that chiral condensates exhibit an oscillatory inhomogeneous behaviour depending on the chemical potential. The use of a path-integral approach clarifies the connection of this phenomenon with the topological structure of the theory.
2+1 dimensional massless scalar QED with $(ϕ^*ϕ)^3$ scalar self-coupling is modified by the addition of a non- minimal Chern-Simons term that couples the dual of the electromagnetic field strength to the covariant current of the complex scalar field. The theory is shown to be fully one- loop renormalizable. The one loop effective potential for the scalar field gives rise to spontaneous symmetry breaking which induces masses for both the scalar and vector fields. At high temperature there is a symmetry restoring phase transition.
Using the Zumino identities it is shown that in a class of non-local gauges, massless QED_3 has an infrared behaviour of a conformal field theory with a continuously varying anomalous dimension of the fermion. In the usual Lorentz gauge, the fermion propagator falls off exponentially for a large separation, but this apparent fermion mass is a gauge artifact.
The infrared behaviour of the gauge-invariant dressed fermion propagator in massless QED_3 is discussed for three choices of dressing. It is found that only the propagator with the isotropic (in three Euclidean dimensions) choice of dressing is acceptable as the physical fermion propagator. It is explained that the negative anomalous dimension of this physical fermion does not contradict any field-theoretical requirement.
We present a concise summary of recent results for the vector correlator in massless QCD at order ${\cal O}(α_s^4)$, with all colour factors being given for a generic colour group. As a direct consequence we arrive at: (i) the full QCD contribution to the QED $β$--function of order $α^2\, α_s^4$ in the MSbar- and MOM-schemes; (ii) the full five-loop result of order $α^6$ for the $β$-function of QED with a generic number of single-charged fermions, again for the MSbar- and MOM-schemes.
Instability in the scalar channel of the fermion-antifermion scattering amplitude in massless QED_3 for number of flavours less than the critical value 128/3π^2 is demonstrated. The anomalous dimensions of gauge-invariant composite operators are determined to O(1/N). Exponentiation of the O(1/N) infrared logarithm is explicitly demonstrated by evaluating the contribution of the ladder diagrams.
We consider the scattering of massless particles coupled to an abelian gauge field in 2n-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Weinberg's soft photon theorem is recast as Ward identities for infinitely many new nontrivial symmetries of the massless QED S-matrix, with one such identity arising for each propagation direction of the soft photon. These symmetries are identified as large gauge transformations with angle-dependent gauge parameters that are constant along the null generators of null infinity. Almost all of the symmetries are spontaneously broken in the standard vacuum and the soft photons…
We derive constraints on the non-perturbative 3-point fermion-boson transverse vertex in massless QED3 from its perturbative calculation to order $α$. We also check the transversality condition to two loops and evaluate the fermion propagator to the same order. We compare a conjecture of the non-perturbative vertex by Burden and Tjiang against our results and comment on its draw backs. Our calculation calls for the need to construct a non-perturbative form for the fermion-boson vertex which agrees with its perturbative limit to ${\cal O}(α)$.
We calculate the quantum corrections to the mass of the zero mode of the fifth component of the gauge field at two-loop level in a five dimensional massless QED compactified on S^1. We discuss in detail how the divergences are exactly canceled and the mass becomes finite. The key ingredients to obtain the result are the five dimensional gauge invariance and the Ward-Takahashi identity. We also evaluate the finite part of corrections.
Within the set of schemes defined by generalized, manifestly gauge invariant exact renormalization groups for QED, it is argued that the beta-function in the four dimensional massless theory cannot possess any nonperturbative power corrections. Consequently, the perturbative expression for the beta-function must be resummable. This argument cannot be extended to flows of the other couplings or to the anomalous dimension of the fermions and so perturbation theory does not define a unique trajectory in the critical surface of the Gaussian fixed point. Thus, resummability of the beta-function is …
We show that the logarithmic infrared divergences in electron self-energy and vertex function of massless QED in 2+1 dimensions can be removed at all orders of 1/N by an appropriate choice of a non-local gauge. Thus the infrared behaviour given by the leading order in 1/N is not modified by higher order corrections. Our analysis gives a computational scheme for the Amati-Testa model, resulting in a non-trivial conformal invariant field theory for all space-time dimensions 2 < d < 4.
It is well known how multiplicative renormalizability of the fermion propagator, through its Schwinger-Dyson equation, imposes restrictions on the 3-point fermion-boson vertex in massless quenched quantum electrodynamics in 4-dimensions (QED$_4$). Moreover, perturbation theory serves as an excellent guide for possible nonperturbative constructions of Green functions. We extend these ideas to arbitrary dimensions $d$. The constraint of multiplicative renormalizability of the fermion propagator is generalized to a Landau-Khalatnikov-Fradkin transformation law in $d$-dimensions and it naturally l…
We evaluate the analytic expression for the one-loop fermion-boson vertex in massless QED3 in an arbitrary covariant gauge. The result is written in terms of elementary functions of its momenta. The vertex is decomposed into a longitudinal part, that is fully responsible for ensuring the Ward and Ward-Takahashi identities are satisfied, and a transverse part. Following Ball and Chiu and Kızılersü {\it et. al.}, the transverse part is written in its most general form as a function of 4 independent vectors. We calculate the coefficients of each of these vectors. We also check the transversality …
We present the NNLO QCD virtual corrections for qurak-antiquark -> gluon photon, quark-antiquark -> photon photon and the NNLO QED virtual corrections for electron positron -> photon photon and all processes related by crossing symmetry. We perform an explicit evaluation of the two-loop diagrams in conventional dimensional regularisation, and our results are renormalised in the MSbar scheme. The infrared pole structure of the amplitudes is in agreement with the prediction of Catani's general formalism for the singularities of two-loop amplitudes, while expressions for the finite remainder are …
In this paper we investigate the non-perturbative generation of an anomalous magnetic moment for massless fermions in the presence of an external magnetic field. In the context of massless QED in a magnetic field, we prove that the phenomenon of magnetic catalysis of chiral symmetry breaking, which has been associated in the literature with dynamical mass generation, is also responsible for the generation of a dynamical anomalous magnetic moment. As a consequence, the degenerate energy of electrons in Landau levels higher than zero exhibits Zeeman splitting. We explicitly report the splitting …
We show that the chiral-symmetry-broken phase of massless QED in the presence of a magnetic field exhibits strong paraelectricity. A large anisotropic electric susceptibility develops in the infrared region, where most of the fermions are confined to their lowest Landau level, and dynamical mass and anomalous magnetic moment are generated via the magnetic catalysis mechanism. The nonperturbative nature of this effect is reflected in the dependence of the electric susceptibility on the fine-structure constant. The strong paraelectricity is linked to the electric dipole moments of the particle/a…
Dong, Munczek and Roberts have shown how the full 3-point vertex that appears in the Schwinger-Dyson equation for the fermion propagator can be expressed in terms of a constrained function $W_1$ in massless quenched QED. However, this analysis involved two key assumptions: that the fermion anomalous dimension vanishes in the Landau gauge and that the transverse vertex has a simplified dependence on momenta. Here we remove these assumptions and find the general form for a new constrained function $U_1$ that ensures the multiplicative renormalizability of the fermion propagator non-perturbativel…
A charged parallel plate capacitor will create particle-antiparticle pairs by the Schwinger process and discharge over time. We consider the full quantum discharge process in 1+1 dimensions including backreaction, when the electric field interacts with massless charged fermions. We recover oscillatory features in the electric field observed in a semiclassical analysis and find that the amplitude of the oscillations falls off as t^{-1/2} and that stronger coupling implies slower decay. Remarkably, Ohm's law applies to the vacuum and we evaluate the quantum electrical conductivity of the vacuum …
We argue that a generic trigger for photon and other gauge fields to emerge as massless Nambu-Goldstone modes could be spontaneously broken supersymmetry rather than physically manifested Lorentz violation. We consider supersymmetric QED model extended by an arbitrary polynomial potential of vector superfield that induces the spontaneous SUSY violation in the visible sector. As a consequence, massless photon appears as a companion of massless photino being Goldstone fermion state in tree approximation. Remarkably, the photon masslessness appearing at tree level is further protected against rad…
An infinite number of physically nontrivial symmetries are found for abelian gauge theories with massless charged particles. They are generated by large $U(1)$ gauge transformations that asymptotically approach an arbitrary function $\varepsilon(z,\bar{z})$ on the conformal sphere at future null infinity ($\mathscr I^+$) but are independent of the retarded time. The value of $\varepsilon$ at past null infinity ($\mathscr I^-$) is determined from that on $\mathscr I^+$ by the condition that it take the same value at either end of any light ray crossing Minkowski space. The $\varepsilon\neq$ con…
The Maxwell equations imply that, under the background of non-zero $\boldsymbol{B}$, varying $θ$ term produces $\boldsymbol{E} \cdot \boldsymbol{B}$. An interesting example is the Witten effect where a magnetic monopole becomes a dyon which, however, should disappear in the exact massless limit of the fermion. Underlying mechanism of this phenomenon has been understood by Callan by the presence of an effective axion-like degree of freedom around the monopole, which is roughly the phase of the fermions. The configuration of this axion cancels the effect of the $θ$ term. Now, the chiral anomaly …
We study the screening of static magnetic and electric fields in massless quantum electrodynamics (QED) and massless scalar electrodynamics (SQED) at temperature $T$. Various exact relations for the static polarisation tensor are first reviewed and then verified perturbatively to fifth order (in the coupling) in QED and fourth order in SQED, using different resummation techniques. The magnetic and electric screening masses squared, as defined through the pole of the static propagators, are also calculated to fifth order in QED and fourth order in SQED, and their gauge-independence and renormal…
In this paper we calculate the non-perturbative Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian for massless QED in a strong magnetic field $H$, where the breaking of the chiral symmetry is dynamically catalyzed by the external magnetic field via the formation of an electro-positron condensate. This chiral condensate leads to the generation of dynamical parameters that have to be found as solutions of non-perturbative Schwinger-Dyson equations. Since the electron-positron pairing mechanism leading to the breaking of the chiral symmetry is mainly dominated by the contributions from the infrared region of momenta m…
We demonstrate that massless QED in three dimensions contains endemic infrared divergences. It is argued that these divergences do not affect observables; furthermore, it is possible to choose a gauge that renders the theory finite.
We consider in detail various theoretical uncertainties of the perturbative predictions for the decay width of $H^0\rightarrow b\overline{b}$ process in the region $50\ GeV< M_H\leq 2M_W$. We calculate the order $O(α_s^2)$-contributions to the expression for $Γ_{Hb\overline{b}}$ through the pole quark mass and demonstrate that they are important for the elimination of the numerical difference between the corresponding expression and the one through the running $b$-quark mass. The order $O(αα_s)$ and $O(α^2)$ massless and order $O(m_b^2/M_H^2)$ massive corrections to $Γ_{Hb\overline{b}}$ are al…
The dynamical evolution of spin of a massive probe fermion in a massless hot QED plasma at local equilibrium is investigated through the quantum kinetic theory. We consider the massive probe fermion undergoing 2-by-2 Coulomb scattering with the massless fermions in the medium. The axial kinetic equation is derived including the collision terms to the first order of gradients and leading logarithmic order of the coupling. The collision terms are vanishing at global equilibrium, around which the relaxation time can be extracted as an operator. We further decompose the axial kinetic equation into…
Non perturbative studies of Schwinger-Dyson equations (SDEs) require their infnite, coupled tower to be truncated in order to reduce them to a practically solvable set. In this connection, a physically acceptable ansatz for the three point vertex is the most favorite choice. Scalar quantum electrodynamics (sQED) provides a simple and neat platform to address this problem. The most general form of the three point scalar-photon vertex can be expressed in terms of only two independent form factors, a longitudinal and a transverse one. Ball and Chiu have demonstrated that the longitudinal vertex i…
We obtain a simple relation between massless and massive scattering amplitudes in gauge theories in the limit where all kinematic invariants are large compared to particle masses. We use this relation to derive the two-loop QED corrections to large-angle Bhabha scattering.
We study in this paper the radiative corrections to chiral magnetic current at both zero and nonzero temperature. Our motivation is a radiative correction to the matrix element of the anomalous Ward identity in massless QED stemming from a three-loop diagram where the two photons coming from the one-loop anomalous triangle are re-scattered. Through the interplay between the Ward identity and the infrared subtlety of the fermion loop integral, we are able to reproduce the corrections known in literature in a simpler approach and obtain its contribution to the chiral magnetic current at zero tem…
The effective Lagrangian and mass operator are calculated for planar charged massive and massless fermions in a constant external homogeneous magnetic field in the one-loop approximation of the 2+1 dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED$_{2+1}$). We obtain the renormalizable effective Lagrangian and the fermion mass operator for a charged fermion of mass $m$ and then calculate these quantities for the massless case. The radiative corrections to the mass of charged massless fermion when it occupies the lowest Landau level are found for the cases of the pure QED$_{2+1}$ as well as the so-calle…
A series of exact BPS solutions are found for single and double domain walls in N=2 supersymmetric (SUSY) QED for finite gauge coupling constants. Vector fields are found to be massive, although it is localized on the wall. Massless modes can be assembled into a chiral scalar multiplet of the preserved N=1 SUSY, after an appropriate gauge choice. The low-energy effective Lagrangian for the massless fields is obtained for the finite gauge coupling. The inter-wall force is found to be much stronger than the known infinite coupling case. The previously proposed expansion in inverse powers of the …
We review gauge invariant $\mathcal N =1$ supersymmetric massive $U(1)$ gauge theory coupled to matter and Stuckelberg superfields. We focus on the leading order self energy and vertex correction to the matter field in the massless limit of both the $U(1)$ vector superfield and the Stuckelberg superfield. We explicitly verify that the theory is infrared divergence free in the massless limit. Hence the Stuckelberg mechanism appears to be the efficient route to handle infrared divergences seen in supersymmetric quantum electrodynamics.Since these additional particles have very small masses they …
The catalysis of chiral symmetry breaking in the massless weakly coupled QED in a magnetic field at finite temperature is studied. The temperature of the symmetry restoration is estimated analytically as $T_c\simeq m_{dyn}$, where $m_{dyn}$ is the dynamical mass of a fermion at zero temperature.
This is the completion of an exploratory study of Compact lattice Quantum Electrodynamics with a weak four-fermi interaction and four species of massless fermions. In this formulation of Quantum Electrodynamics massless fermions can be simulated directly and Finite Size Scaling analyses can be performed at the theory's chiral symmetry breaking critical point. High statistics simulations on lattices ranging from $8^4$ to $24^4$ yield the equation of state, critical indices, scaling functions and cumulants. The measurements are well fit with the orthodox hypothesis that the theory is logarithmic…
In order to treat loops in the Lorentz-violating QED model, we present a derivation of the QED axial anomaly that specifically highlights the infrared origin of the effect. This is done using dimensional regularization while treating $γ_5$ as a spectator. This enables us to revisit aspects in the fermionic sector of Lorentz-violating QED which have analogous structure to the axial anomaly. In particular, it is shown that both the Chern-Simons and photon mass operators are not induced in the one loop effective action. At lowest order in the Lorentz-violating parameter, we can define a non-relat…
We present the three loop contribution (order $e^4$) to the pressure of massless quantum electrodynamics at nonzero temperature. The calculation is performed within the imaginary time formalism. Dimensional regularization is used to handle the usual, intermediate stage, ultraviolet and infrared singularities, and also to prevent overcounting of diagrams during resummation.
During inflation quantum effects from massless, minimally coupled scalars and gravitons can be strengthened so much that perturbation theory breaks down. To follow the subsequent evolution one must employ a nonperturbative resummation. Starobinski\uı has developed such a technique for simple scalDuring inflation quantum effects from massless, minimally coupled scalars and gravitons can be strengthened so much that perturbation theory breaks down. To follow the subsequent evolution one must employ a nonperturbative resummation. Starobinski\uı has developed such a technique for simple scalar the…
Particle-antiparticle pairs can be produced by background electric fields via the Schwinger mechanism provided they are unconfined. If, as in QED in (3+1)-$d$ these particles are massive, the particle production rate is exponentially suppressed below a threshold field strength. Above this threshold, the energy for pair creation must come from the electric field itself which ought to eventually relax to the threshold strength. Calculating this relaxation in a self-consistent manner, however, is difficult. Chu and Vachaspati addressed this problem in the context of capacitor discharge in massles…
The order $e^5$ contribution to the pressure of massless quantum electrodynamics at nonzero temperature is determined explicitly. An identity is also obtained relating a gauge-invariant piece of the pressure at order $e^{2n+3} \ (n \ge 1) $ (from diagrams with only one fermion loop) to the pressure at order $e^{2n}$.
We investigate the effect of an applied constant and uniform magnetic field in the fine-structure constant of massive and massless QED. In massive QED, it is shown that a strong magnetic field removes the so called Landau pole and that the fine-structure constant becomes anisotropic having different values along and transverse to the field direction. Contrary to other results in the literature, we find that the anisotropic fine-structure constant always decreases with the field. We also study the effect of the running of the coupling constant with the magnetic field on the electron mass. We fi…
A Lorentz violating modification of massless QED is proposed, with higher order space derivatives for the photon field. The fermion dynamical mass generation is studied with the Schwinger-Dyson approach, and it is found that the resulting mass is many orders of magnitude smaller than the (Plank-) mass scale introduced by the higher order derivative terms. This is due to a suppressing factor, non-analytic in the fine structure constant and exponentially small. This scenario is an alternative to the Higgs mechanism for the electron mass, which arises here from Lorentz violating effects at high e…
The catalysis of chiral symmetry breaking by a magnetic field in the massless weak-coupling phase of QED is studied. The dynamical mass of a fermion (energy gap in the fermion spectrum) is shown to depend essentially nonanalytically on the renormalized coupling constant $α$ in a strong magnetic field. The temperature of the symmetry restoration is calculated analytically as $T_c\approx m_{dyn}$, where $m_{dyn}$ is the dynamical mass of a fermion at zero temperature.
Quantum parity conservation is verified at all orders in perturbation theory for a massless parity-even $U(1)\times U(1)$ planar quantum electrodynamics (QED$_3$) model. The presence of two massless fermions requires the Lowenstein-Zimmermann (LZ) subtraction scheme, in the framework of the Bogoliubov-Parasiuk-Hepp-Zimmermann-Lowenstein (BPHZL) renormalization method, in order to subtract the infrared divergences induced by the ultraviolet subtractions at 1- and 2-loops, however thanks to the superrenormalizability of the model the ultraviolet divergences are bounded up to 2-loops. Finally, it…
The massless fermion limit of QED is discussed. For on-shell renormalisation the high energy behaviour fixes no lower limit on the mass of the lightest fermion if the fine structure constant $α$ is allowed to vary. The choice of an arbitary (space-like) subtraction point does, however, fix a lower limit on the mass of the lightest fermion, for any subtraction scale $μ$, if the effective charge $\aefmu$ respects both quantum mechanical superposition and renormalisation scale invariance. Limits on the values of $α$ or the electron mass are obtained within the Standard Electroweak Model by requir…
We argue that supersymmetry with its well known advantages, such as naturalness, grand unification and dark matter candidate seems to possess one more attractive feature: it may trigger, through its own spontaneous violation in the visible sector, a dynamical generation of gauge fields as massless Nambu-Goldstone modes during which physical Lorentz invariance itself is ultimately preserved. We consider the supersymmetric QED model extended by an arbitrary polynomial potential of massive vector superfield that breaks gauge invariance in the SUSY invariant phase. However, the requirement of vacu…
It was shown by F. Low in the 1950s that the subleading terms of soft photon S-matrix elements obey a universal linear relation. In this paper we give a new interpretation to this old relation, for the case of massless QED, as an infinitesimal symmetry of the S-matrix. The symmetry is shown to be locally generated by a vector field on the conformal sphere at null infinity. Explicit expressions are constructed for the associated charges as integrals over null infinity and shown to generate the symmetry. These charges are local generalizations of electric and magnetic dipole charges.
We study dynamical symmetry breaking in three-dimensional QED with a Chern-Simons (CS) term, considering the screening effect of $N$ flavor fermions. We find a new phase of the vacuum, in which both the fermion mass and a magnetic field are dynamically generated, when the coefficient of the CS term $κ$ equals $N e^2/4 π$. The resultant vacuum becomes the finite-density state half-filled by fermions. For $κ=N e^2/2 π$, we find the fermion remains massless and only the magnetic field is induced. For $κ=0$, spontaneous magnetization does not occur and should be regarded as an external field.