Understanding Goldstone's Theorem Proof: Volume Limit and Commutator

In summary, the first step of the quantistic proof of Goldstone's theorem involves proving that the commutator, defined as the limit of a vacuum state of a conserved charge and a local operator, does not depend on time. This is done by applying Stokes's theorem and letting the volume go to infinity, assuming that the limit of the volume integral exists. The argument cannot be directly applied to the conserved charge, but must first be converted to the continuity equation and then to a surface integral over the boundary of the volume.
  • #1
Aleolomorfo
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4
Hello everybody!
I have a question regarding the first step of the quantistic proof of the Goldstone's theorem. Defining
$$a(t) = \lim_{V \rightarrow +\infty} {\langle \Omega|[Q_v(\vec{x},t),A(\vec{y})]| \Omega \rangle}$$
where ##|\Omega\rangle## is the vacuum state of the Fock space, ##Q_v## is the conserved charge of the relative current ##J^\mu## and ##A## is a local operator. The first step is to prove that actually ##a(t)## does not depend on ##t##.
$$\frac{da(t)}{dt} = \lim_{V \rightarrow +\infty} \partial_t {\langle \Omega|[Q_V(\vec{x},t),A(\vec{y})]| \Omega \rangle} = $$
$$= \lim_{V \rightarrow +\infty} \partial_t \int_V d\vec{x} {\langle \Omega|[J^0(\vec{x},t),A(\vec{y})]| \Omega \rangle} = $$
$$= \lim_{V \rightarrow +\infty} \int_V d\vec{x} {\langle \Omega|[\partial_t J^0(\vec{x},t),A(\vec{y})]| \Omega \rangle} = $$
I substitute the conservation of the current ##\partial_\mu J^\mu##
$$= - \lim_{V \rightarrow +\infty} \int_V d\vec{x} {\langle \Omega|[\nabla\cdot \vec{J}(\vec{x},t),A(\vec{y})]| \Omega \rangle} = $$
Stoke's theorem
$$= - \lim_{V \rightarrow +\infty} \int_S d\vec{n} {\langle \Omega|[ \vec{J}(\vec{x},t),A(\vec{y})]| \Omega \rangle} = $$
The conclusion is: the commutator is zero since we are doing the limit ##V \rightarrow +\infty##, this means that ##|\vec{x}-\vec{y}| \rightarrow +\infty##.

I do not understand two things.
The first one is the last sentence, I do not see why sending ##|\vec{x}-\vec{y}| \rightarrow +\infty## means that the commutator is zero.
Secondly, essentialy in this proof we change ##J^0## to ##\vec{J}##, why the same argument made about ##\vec{J}## to sent the volume to ##+\infty## was not used to ##J^0##?
Thanks in advance for the help!
 
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  • #2
Applying Stokes's theorem transforms the volume integral in the formula before the last formula to a surface integral over its boundary. Letting the volume "go to infinity", meaning taking the limit that ##V## becomes the entire space, the integral vanishes under the assumption that the limit of the volume integral exists, i.e., that the integrand is going sufficiently quickly to 0 in the limit when the entire surface goes to infinity.

You cannot use the argument directly to ##\dot{J}^0## but you need to convert it via the continuity equation to ##-\vec{\nabla} \cdot \vec{j}## in order to be able to convert the volume integral to the surface integral over this volume's boundary and then apply the argument with the vanishing of this surface integral when all parts of the surface are pushed to infinity.
 
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1. What is Goldstone's theorem?

Goldstone's theorem is a mathematical proof in quantum field theory that states that in a system with spontaneously broken continuous symmetry, there must exist a massless particle called a Goldstone boson.

2. What is the significance of Goldstone's theorem?

Goldstone's theorem is significant because it explains the existence of massless particles in certain systems, such as superconductors and superfluids. It also plays a crucial role in the Standard Model of particle physics.

3. How was Goldstone's theorem first proven?

Goldstone's theorem was first proven by the physicist Jeffrey Goldstone in 1961. He used mathematical techniques from group theory and quantum field theory to derive the theorem.

4. Can Goldstone's theorem be extended to other systems?

Yes, Goldstone's theorem has been extended to other systems, such as condensed matter systems and cosmological models. It has also been generalized to include broken discrete symmetries.

5. What are the implications of Goldstone's theorem in particle physics?

Goldstone's theorem has important implications in particle physics, as it predicts the existence of massless particles such as the Higgs boson. It also provides a framework for understanding the behavior of particles and their interactions in the Standard Model.

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