Exercises for lecture 2 1

Write the algebra for the Lorentz group (between the generators of the 3 rotations and
1 3 boosts)

2 The rotation of a spin 1/2 state in 3 dimensions are generated by:

(spin matrices)

where σ are Pauli matrices:

and: (which is the algebra for SO(3), the group of 3D rotations)

A rotation R(φ,n) given by an angle φ around the direction n is given by:

so that spin matrices rotate as 3-vectors:

3x3 matrix that rotates vectors in 3D

Lets generalize this spin 1/2 representation to 3+1 dimensions (Lorentz group):

2a The Dirac matrices are defined by: (Clifford algebra)

Show that the S matrices defined by:

generators of the Lorentz

transf. for 4-vectors
(Peskin 3.1)
obey the Lorentz group algebra

that is, show that:

(that means that the transformations generated by these matrices are a representation of the Lorentz
group)
 Lista 1 2

2b Show that:
(the Dirac matrices rotate like vectors in 3+1 dimensions)

2c Lets define SPINORS, as the fields that transform under this representations:

Show: is not invariant

is invariant

is covariant that is:

which would lead to being

invariant, with being any Lorentz vector

Write the most general Lagrangian using only ψ, with a maximum of two powers of ψ
2d and/or derivatives in x (the Lagrangian must be Lorentz invariant)