Dimension of electric charge, hypercharge and isospin

In summary, SU(2) has three gauge fields A_\mu^1, A_\mu^2, and A_\mu^3, while U(1) has one gauge field B_\mu. The A_\mu^3 and B_\mu are electrically neutral. The photon \gamma and Z particle are combinations of these fields. The parameters g, g', e, Q, T, Y, N all have the same dimension. g and g' are coupling constants related to the strength of the gauge fields, while T and Y are dimensionless parameters related to the electroweak symmetry group. The gauge symmetries are first unbroken and later broken, but this does not affect g and g'. The
  • #1
dimsun
27
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For SU(2) the three represented gauge fields are [tex]A_\mu^1[/tex], [tex]A_\mu^2[/tex] and [tex]A_\mu^3[/tex] and for U(1) the gauge field is [tex]B_\mu[/tex].
The [tex]A_\mu^3[/tex] and [tex]B_\mu[/tex] are electrically neutral.
The photon [tex]\gamma[/tex] and [tex]Z[/tex] particle are combinations of these.

My interest is the dimensions of the following parameters:

[tex]g[/tex] = strength of gauge fields [tex]A_\mu^1[/tex], [tex]A_\mu^2[/tex] and [tex]A_\mu^3[/tex].

[tex]g'[/tex] = strength of gauge field [tex]B_\mu[/tex].

[tex]e[/tex] = electron charge.
[tex]e = \frac{gg'}{\sqrt{g^2 + g'^2}}[/tex].

And:

[tex]Q = T_3 + \frac{Y}{2}[/tex].
[tex]Y[/tex] = weak hypercharge.
[tex]T_3[/tex] = weak isospin.
[tex]Q[/tex] = electric charge.
[tex]N[/tex] = electron number.

First I suppose that electric charge [tex]Q[/tex] is in esu and has unit statcoulomb.
So [tex]Q[/tex] in SI-units is [tex]q \sqrt{K}[/tex] in which [tex]K[/tex] is the Coulomb constant and [tex]q[/tex] is electric charge in SI-units.
And I also suppose that electron charge [tex]e[/tex] in the above equation is in esu. Is this al true?
Can I say that also [tex]Q[/tex], [tex]Y[/tex], [tex]T[/tex], [tex]N[/tex], [tex]g[/tex], [tex]g'[/tex] and [tex]e[/tex] all have the same dimension?

What is the difference between [tex]g'[/tex]and [tex]Y[/tex] ?
And what is the difference between [tex]g[/tex] and [tex]T[/tex] ?

The gauge symmetries are first unbroken and later broken symmetries.
Is it that [tex]g[/tex] and [tex]g'[/tex] are unbroken parameters and [tex]Y[/tex] and [tex]T[/tex] are broken parameters?

Next to weak hypercharge and weak isospin does weak charge exist?
In that case is there also an equation to calculate weak charge from weak hypercharge and weak isospin?
 
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  • #2
Everything here is dimensionless.
 
  • #3
What is the difference between g' and Y ?
And what is the difference between g and T ?

In that case is there also an equation to calculate weak charge from weak hypercharge and weak isospin?
dimsum, g and g' are coupling constants with the same dimensions as e (but I don't think too many particle physicists use statcoulombs!)

g sin θW = g' cos θW = e

where θW is the weak mixing angle. T and Y are dimensionless parameters related to the electroweak symmetry group. They are designed to imitate the corresponding parameters T, Y in the symmetry group for strong interactions. Q = T3 + Y/2 in both cases, but note an important difference - electroweak symmetry is chiral: The quarks u and d have T = 1 in the strong symmetry, but in the weak symmetry the left-handed quarks uL and dL have T = 1, while the right-handed quarks uR and dR have T = 0.

The gauge symmetries are first unbroken and later broken symmetries.
Is it that g and g' are unbroken parameters and Y and T are broken parameters?
No, not at all. The symmetry breaking does not affect g and g', only particle masses, and is characterized by another physical parameter, v = 246 GeV. For example

MW = ½ v g
MZ = ½ v √(g2 + g'2)

Next to weak hypercharge and weak isospin does weak charge exist?
"Weak charge" is exactly the same as regular charge.
 
  • #4
Bill_K said:
(but I don't think too many particle physicists use statcoulombs!)

Thanks Bill, but there is a difference.
In SI-units we have mass [tex]m[/tex], and this has a different dimension then [tex]m\sqrt{G}[/tex].
Likewise in SI-units we have electric charge [tex]q[/tex], and this has a different dimension then [tex]q\sqrt{K}[/tex].

In SI-units mass [tex]m[/tex] and electric charge [tex]q[/tex] don't have the same dimension. But [tex]m\sqrt{G}[/tex] and [tex]q\sqrt{K}[/tex] do have the same dimension.

[tex]m\sqrt{G}[/tex] in ESU is called mass.

And [tex]q\sqrt{K}[/tex] in ESU is called electric charge and have both the same dimension.

So mass in SI-units is another quantity then mass in ESU.
I think in the original article of Steven Weinberg, ESU units are used.



But stil not clear is the difference between on the one hand [tex]g[/tex] and [tex]g'[/tex] and on the other hand [tex]T[/tex] and [tex]Y[/tex].
[tex]g[/tex] and [tex]T[/tex] are both related to SU(2) symmetry group, but they are not the same, what is the difference?
and [tex]g'[/tex] and [tex]Y[/tex] are both related to the U(1) symmetry group, but they are not the same, again what is the difference?
The electron charge [tex]e[/tex] and [tex]Q[/tex] are also related to the U(1) symmetry group, but I can't exchange [tex]e[/tex] for [tex]Q[/tex]:

[tex]T_3 + \frac{Y}{2} = \frac{gg'}{\sqrt{g^2 + g'^2}}[/tex] is wrong, but why?
 

1. What is the dimension of electric charge?

The dimension of electric charge is measured in coulombs (C).

2. What is hypercharge in particle physics?

Hypercharge is a quantum number that is used to describe the charge of particles in the context of the electroweak theory. It is related to the electric charge and isospin of a particle.

3. What is the significance of hypercharge?

The hypercharge of a particle determines its interaction with the Higgs field, and thus affects the mass of the particle. It also plays a role in determining the symmetry breaking in the electroweak theory.

4. How is isospin related to electric charge?

Isospin is another quantum number that is related to the charge of a particle. It is used to describe the symmetry between different types of particles, such as protons and neutrons. The electric charge of a particle is related to its isospin through a mathematical equation.

5. How are electric charge, hypercharge, and isospin used in particle physics?

Electric charge, hypercharge, and isospin are all important quantum numbers that are used to describe the properties and interactions of particles in the field of particle physics. They help us understand the fundamental forces and particles that make up our universe.

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