Physics 509: Relativistic Quantum Field Theory

Problem Set 2

Due Friday 27 September 2019

1. Green’s Functions for the Simple Harmonic Oscillator

In this exercise you will study several different Green’s functions for the one-
dimensional SHO. Denoting the position by φ, the Lagrangian is given by
1 1
L = φ̇2 − m2 φ2 . (1.1)
2 2
a) Use the expression for the Heisenberg operator φ(t) in terms of creation and annihi-
lation operators to evaluate the following expectation values:
GR (t) = θ(t)h0|[φ(t), φ(0)]|0i ,
GA (t) = −θ(−t)h0|[φ(t), φ(0)]|0i , (1.2)
GF (t) = θ(t)h0|φ(t)φ(0)|0i + θ(−t)h0|φ(0)φ(t)|0i .
The subscripts R, A, F stand for ‘retarded’, ‘advanced’, and ‘Feynman’ respectively.
b) Show directly from (1.2) that GR , GA , and GF all satisfy the equation
(∂t2 + m2 )GR,A,F (t) = −iδ(t) . (1.3)
Therefore, they are all Green’s functions for the differential operator ∂t2 + m2 . Show
explicitly that the three Green’s function only differ by solutions to the homogenous
equation, and that they can be distinguished by their behavior as t → ±∞.
c) By inserting a complete set of states into the definition of GF (t) as a time-ordered
product, show that it satisfies the following boundary condition in the complex plane:

Re t > 0 , Im t → −∞
G(t) → 0 for (1.4)
Re t < 0 , Im t → +∞
R∞
d) Use the Fourier transform G(ω)e = −∞ dt eiωt G(t) to solve (1.3). Note that the
Fourier integral of G(ω)
e suffers an ambiguity due to the presence of poles. Analyze
them carefully and show that they correspond to adding solutions of the homogenous
equation to G(t). Use this understanding to write down an unambiguous Fourier
representation for the Green’s functions GR , GA , and GF .
e) Using the Fourier representation for GF (t), argue that you can analytically continue t
along the contour t → e−iθ t and find the allowed range of θ for which you do not
encounter a singularity. As a special case, show that you can continue t → −iτ ,
where τ is a real variable, which is refereed to as Euclidean time. (The procedure
described here is called a Wick rotation.)

1
2. Green’s Functions in Scalar QFT

Consider a real scalar field theory with Lagrangian density L = 12 ∂µ φ∂ µ φ − 12 m2 φ2

in four-dimensional Minkowski spacetime.
a) By canonically quantizing, show that

d3 p 1 −ip·(x−y)
Z
D(x − y) = h0| φ(x)φ(y) |0i = e , (2.1)
(2π)3 2E~p
p
where p0 = E~p = ~p2 + m2 .
b) Find D(x − y) when x − y is spacelike and when it is timelike by doing the in-
tegral in (2.1). (The answer involves familiar special functions.) In class, we saw
that D(Λ(x − y)) = D(x − y), where xµ → Λµ ν xν is a Lorentz transformation. There-
fore, you can work in frames where x − y is purely space-like or purely time-like.
Discuss the limits of large space-like or time-like separation.
c) Write down the time-ordered (Feynman) Green’s function DF (x−y) = h0| T φ(x)φ(y) |0i
in position space. Discuss its support. Using this result, suggest an argument that
allows you to predict the existence of anti-particles. What is their mass?
d) Compute the commutator [φ(x), φ(y)] and interpret its support.