Tutorial on Quantum Field Theory (755)

Example for Wicks theorem

The normalordered interaction Lagrangian for QED reads

LI (x) = e : (x) (x)A (x) : .
We need to decompose the fields in positive and negative frequency parts to write the
timeordered product
T (LI (x)LI (y))
in terms of normalordered products and propagators. The result should be that of
Wicks theorem.
This problem is a lengthy bookkeeping task and will only be sketched here. First note
that


T : (x1 ) (x1 )A (x1 ) : : (x2 ) (x2 )A (x2 ) : =


T : 1 1 : : 2 2 : T (A1, A2, )
since the fermion and electromagnetic fields commute. Also, the spacetime arguments
have been replaced by indices, for simplicity. The second factor is simple:
T (A1, A2, ) =: A1, A2, : + A1, A2,
To deal with the fermion part we first split off the matrices




T : 1 1 : : 2 2 : = ( )ij ( )lm T : 1,i 1,j : : 2,l 2,m :
Then we have to deal with


T : 1,i 1,j : : 2,l 2,m :
= (t1 t2 ) : 1,i 1,j : : 2,l 2,m : +(t2 t1 ) : 2,l 2,m : : 1,i 1,j :
Next we decompose each spinor into positive and negative frequency components
(+)

()

j (x) = j (x) + j (x)

and

(+)

In explicit form they are

d3 k m X
()
b (k)uj (k)eikx
3
(2) E
Z
d3 k m X
()
()
d (k)vj (k)eikx
j (x) =
3
(2) E
Z
d3 k m X
()
()
j (x) =
b (k)uj (k)eikx
(2)3 E
(+)
j (x)

()

j (x) = j (x) + j (x) .

(+)
j (x)

d3 k m X
()
d (k)v j (k)eikx
(2)3 E

There are only two nontrivial anticommutators

n
o
(+)
()
i (x), j (y) = Vij (x y) with

o
()
(+)
i (x), j (y) = Uij (x y) and

Z
d3 k m X ()
d3 k eik(xy)
()
ik(xy)
Uij (x y) =
(k)e
=
(k/ + m)ij
(k)u
u
j
(2)3 E i
(2)3 2E
Z
Z
d3 k eik(xy)
d3 k m X ()
()
ik(xy)
(k)e
=
(k/ m)ij
(k)v
v
Vij (x y) =
j
(2)3 E i
(2)3 2E
Z

It is important to recall from the lecture that

(x0 y 0 )Ujl (x y) (y 0 x0 )Vjl (x y) = h0|T j (x) l (y) |0i = j (x) l (y)


(x0 y 0 )Vmi (y x) (y 0 x0 )Umi (y x) = h0|T i (x)m (y) |0i = i (x)m (y) .
This implies
i (x)j (x) l (y)m (y) = (x0 y 0 )Ujl (x y)Vmi (y x) (y 0 x0 )Vjl (x y)Umi (y x) .
With these preliminaries and
(+)

()

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

()

: 1,i 1,j :=: ( 1,i + 1,i )(1,j + 1,j ) := 1,i 1,j + 1,i 1,j 1,j 1,i + 1,i 1,j
we write
T : 1,i 1,j : : 2,l 2,m :

(+) (+)
1,i 1,j

() (+)
1,i 1,j

(+) (+)
2,l 2,m

() (+)
2,l 2,m

() ()
() (+)
+
1,j 1,i + 1,i 1,j
(t1 t2 )
h (+)
i
() (+)
() ()
(+)
() (+)
2,l 2,m + 2,l 2,m 2,m 2,l + 2,l 2,m
() (+)
2,m 2,l

() ()
2,l 2,m

+ (t2 t1 )
+

+
i
h (+)
() (+)
() ()
(+)
() (+)
1,i 1,j + 1,i 1,j 1,j 1,i + 1,i 1,j

and move all negative (positive) frequency pieces to the right (left) to identify the
normalordered form.

In the first step we assume t1 > t2 and start the bookkeeping

(+)

(+)

(+)

(+)

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

(+)

(+)

(+)

1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m = : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m :

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

(+)

1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m = 1,i 2,l 1,j 2,m + 1,i

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

()

1,j , 2,l

(+)

(+)

(+)

2,m

= : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m : + : 1,i 2,m : Ujl (x1 x2 )

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

1,i 1,j 2,m 2,l

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

= 1,i 2,m 1,j 2,l

(+)

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

(+)

(+)

()

()

(+)

()

= : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m : + : 1,j 2,l : Vmi (x2 x1 )

(+)

(+)

()

()

1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m = : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m : + : 1,j 2,l : Vmi (x2 x1 )
(+)

()

+ : 1,i 2,m : Ujl (x1 x2 ) + Ujl (x1 x2 )Vmi (x2 x1 )

()

(+)

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

()

()

(+)

()

()

()

(+)

(+)

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

()

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

()

()

(+)

()

()

1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m = : 2,i 1,j 2,l 2,m :

()

(+)

1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m = : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m + : 1,i 2,m : Ujl (x1 x2 )
()

()

(+)

(+)

()

(+)

()

(+)

1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m = 1,i 2,l 1,j 2,m =: 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m :
()

()

()

()

(+)

()

()

()

1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m = : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m : + : 1,i 2,m : Ujl (x1 x2 )
1,j 1,i 2,l 2,m = : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m :
1,j 1,i 2,l 2,m = : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m :
1,j 1,i 2,m 2,l

= : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m : + : 1,j 2,l : Vmi (x2 x1 )

1,j 1,i 2,l 2,m = : 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m : + : 1,j 2,l : Vmi (x2 x1 ) .
The final term is already normalordered
h (+)
i
() ()
() (+)
() ()
(+)
() (+)
1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m + 2,l 2,m 2,m 2,l + 2,l 2,m
h (+)
i
() ()
() (+)
(+) ()
() ()
(+)
=: 1,i 1,j 2,l 2,m + 2,l 2,m + 2,l 2,m + 2,l 2,m :
By definition the 16 terms with neither U nor V add up to : i (x1 )j (x1 ) l (x2 )m (x2 ) : ,
i.e. the term with no contraction in Wicks theorem. The coefficients of the term linear
in U add up to
(+)

(+)

(+)

()

()

(+)

()

()

: 1,i 2,m : + : 1,i 2,m : + : 1,i 2,m : + : 1,i 2,m :=: 1,i 2,m : .
Thus the terms linear in U contribute
: 1,i 2,m : Ujl (x1 x2 ) =: i (x1 ) j (x1 ) l (x2 ) m (x2 ) :
as t1 > t2 . Similarly the terms linear in V contribute
: 1,j 2,l : Vmi (x2 x1 ) =: 1,j 2,l : i (x1 )m (x2 ) =: i (x1 )j (x1 ) l (x2 )m (x2 ) :
Hence the terms linear in U and V collect all possible twoparticle contractions of
fermion fields at different spacetime points.
It is also obvious that the product Ujl (x1 x2 )Vmi (x2 x1 ) corresponds to the contribution with all fields contracted which is displayed above since t1 > t2 .

The second step considers t2 > t1 . It is obtained from the above by appropriate substitutions of the arguments and spinor indices. This and bringing back in the matrices
and adds up to the results that
T : (x1 ) (x1 ) : : (x2 ) (x2 ) :

= : (x1 ) (x1 )(x2 ) (x2 ) :

+ : (x1 ) (x1 )(x2 ) (x2 ) :
+ : (x1 ) (x1 )(x2 ) m (x2 ) :
+ (x) (x)(y) (y) ,

which is the sum of all normalordered products involving all contractions of fields at
different spacetime points. This includes the term without any contraction.
Finally we have to reconsider the photon field in the third step. But this just adds terms
with and without photon field contractions since the timeordering separates between
fermion and photon fields. This verifies Wicks theorem for QED at second order.
It is important to note that no contraction emerges between fields at coincident points
that are already normalordered in LI .