Wong

IL NUOVO CIMENTO VOL. LNV A, N.
4 21 Febbraio 1970
Field and Particle Equations for the Classical Yang-Mills Field

and Particles with Isotopic Spin (').
S. K. WO~G
Institute /or Theoretic(d Physics
State Uni~,ersity o] New ~'ork - Stony Brook. N . ~.
(ricevuto il 20 Settembre 1969)
Summary. --- A complete system of equations describing the interaction

between the Yang-Miits field and isotopic-spin-carrying particles in the
classical limit is extracted from the equations of motion for the quantum
fields. Some simple consequences are derived. The consistency of the
equations is investigated.
1. - I n t r o d u c t i o n .
Difficulties still persist in the q u a n t u m t h e o r y of t h e u (1.2) field.

I n v e s t i g a t i o n of t h e t h e o r y at the classical level t h a t m i g h t furnish insight
into the q u a u t u m theory is desirable. B y analogy with electromagnetism,
in the classical limit, one expects t h a t there should emerge a picture of iso-
topic-spin-carrying particles interacting with each other through ~ C-number
u field. I t is the purpose of this note to write down the equations
describing this interaction.
2. - E x t r a c t i o n of the c l a s s i c a l e q u a t i o n s of m o t i o n .
Our starting point will be tile field equations for the q u a n t u m fields, from
which we shall e x t r a c t the desired equations b y taking a p p r o p r i a t e limits.
(*) Partially supported by the U.S. AEC under Contract No. AT(30-1)-3668B.
(1) C. N. YA~G and R. L. MILLs: Phys. Rev.. 96. 191 (1954).
(2) B. ZUMINO: Acta Phys. Austriaca. Suppl. II. 212, (1965).
689
690 s . K . WONG
Consider t h e interaction b e t w e e n t h e Y~ng-Mills field b~,(x)(~) and a spin-89 field

~p(x) which t r a n s f o r m s u n d e r a p~rticular irreducible r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of S U~ in
which X~ with ~--~ 1, 2, 3 f o r m a set of generators such t h a t
(1) [X~, X~] = i s ~ X v .
The L a g r a n g i a n density is (4)
(~) 1 - ~ X me
where
(3) f ~ = 8vb, -- 8~ bl, -? gb~,x b~ .
The field equations are
(~) ~ , L . + gb, • f , . = - i g ~ r . x , v .
mc
(5) y ~ , ( ~ , - - i g X ' b ~ , ) y~ ~- -f[- y~ = 0 .
L e t us c o n c e n t r a t e first on (5), and regard it as a one-particle D i r a c e q u a t i o n

for an isotopic-spin-carrying particle in a given external C-number field b~,(x).
I t can b e w r i t t e n in t h e form
8yJ
(6)
with
(7) H = c~,(p~ - - gb,. I) + mc2fl - - igcb4. I ,
where ~,, fl are the Dirac matrices, p ~ = ( ~ / i ) ~ , and I = ~ X satisfy t h e com-

m u t a t i o n relations
(8) [I~, I~] = it~e~rI r .
I n t h e Heisenberg picture~ t h e following equations of m o t i o n s are obtained:
dx~ i
(9) -- ~[H, X,] = ~ C ,
d--t
(a) Bold-face letters will represent a triple in the isotopic-spin space. Thus,
(a) Notar A four-vector ag has components (a~, a 2, a s, a4 = iao). Greek indices

run from 1 to 4, Latin indices from 1 to 3. The y-matrices arc Hermitian and satisfy
{y,, 7,} = 2~,,.
F I E L D AND P A R T I C L E E Q U A T I O N S ETC. 691
alp, i
(~o)
dI i [dx, b )
(11) d--[ = ~[H' I] = g ~ dt ~~- icb4 • I .
Defining the mechanical momenta by
(12) g~:pi--gb~'I
we further find
(13) dg, /dxi )

d~- = g [ u + i~f~, 9t .
When (13) is compared with a similar equation for a charged particle moving
in an external electromagnetic field, the following equation governing the world
line ~(~) of the particle in space-time suggests itself:
(14) ~. = gA," t(~) $~,
where the dot denotes differentiation with respect to the proper time ~. The
right-hand side obviously represents ~ generalization of the Lorentz force.
Equation (14) is to be supplemented by
(15) i + gb~, • I~'~,~-- 0
obtainable from (11). In the limit we are considering, a particle is thus described
b y an internal vector I as well us its space-time co-ordinates.
The isotopic spin current c~rried by a point particle, ~nalogous to the electric
current, is (5)
(16) gfl(v) ~t, 6(~>(x -- ~(v)) d~.
Hence the field equation is
(17)
with]~ being a sum of terms of the form (16), coming from each particle.
(5) In the corresponding expression ej'~l,5(4)(x - ~)dv for the electric current, w e
. and obtain
may perform the ~_.integration . j , = ( ( e d~ ,/ dt ) ~(3)(x- ~ ( ) ) ,t ~ce~(3)(x_ ~ ( ) ) t) ,
a perhaps more familiar expression.
692 s . K . WONG
Equation (17), together with (14), (15) ]or each particle, completely describes the
interaction among a system o] particles with isotopic spin, when all relevant qaun-
titites are treated as C-numbers.
3. - S o m e s i m p l e c o n s e q u e n c e s .
We notice an i m m e d i a t e consequence of (15):
d
(a8) -- I ~= 0.
dr
The isotopic spin of e~ch particle thus performs a precessional motion.

To investigate further the consequences of (14), (15) and (17), it is convenient
to introduce t h e (( covari~nt d e r i v a t i v e s ,
(19) V~A= ~t,A + g b ~ x A
for ~ny vector A in the isotopic-spin sp~ce. The following identities are found
to be v~lid (~)
(2o) v.v.z,. = o,
(21) V u L o + V . f o . + VoL e - 0 .
F r o m the free Yang-Mills field p a r t of the Lagr~ngi~n (2), the s y m m e t r i c energy-

m o m e n t u m tensor for the field can be obtained b y a f~miliur technique (r) to be
('.,21 = s .
T h e divergence of this tensor is
- 89 f o.Lo+ v Le-f e+Le-v f 0,
(6) Notice that for any internal vector A, ivy, V~]A = g f ~ x A . Replacing A by
f ~ and using the antisymmetry of f ~ (20) is proved. To prove {21), we compute
V~feo = ~,(Oeb o -- ~obe) + gSu(b e x ba) + gb i, x (aebo -- ~obo) + g2b, x (b e x be) =
= ~,(Seb o - Oobo) q- g2b, x (b e x ba) § g(b e x Cuba+ b~ x aeba) -- g(bo x ~ub e § b, x ~obe).
Upon cyclic permutation of #, ~, a ~nd adding, (21) is obtained.
(7) See, for inst, nnce. J. M. JAUCH ~nd F. ROHRHCa: The Theory o/Photons and
Electrons (Cambridge, Mass., 1955).
FIELD AND PARTICLE EQUATIONS ETC. 693
where in the second line the replacement of all ordinary derivatives by eovariant
derivatives is justified because the extra terms add up to zero. Making use
of (21), 07) and then (14),
l~artxcles ~ /
which justifies, as a corresponding equation in electrodynamics does, the inter-

pretation of T~, as the energy-momentum tensor of the field.
4. - Consistency.
In virtue of (20), a consequence of the field equation (17) is that
(2~) v.j. = 0.
Through (19) and (17), this is also equivalent to the conservation of isotopic
spin
(25) 8~(1, + gb, x f~,,) = O .
On the other hand, one finds, using the expression (16) for j , ,
all Darticlea d
= g dr
= g ~_,j'(I § gb t, X i~z,) 6'"(x ~) d r .
'The requirement (24) is therefore consistent with the eq. (15) for the preces-
sion of the isotopic spin.
5. - Validity.
In arriving at the eqs. (14), (15) and (17), the usual conditions for the clas-
sical limit are, of course, to be assumed. In addition, we also require the iso-
topic spins of the particles to be large (or, more precisely, the matrix elements
of I should be large on the average compared with h) in order t h a t they can
be treated as C-numbers.
The above considerations can be generalized to any semi-simple Lie group.
4 4 - I I N u o v o Cimento A .
694 s . K . WONG
I s h o u l d like to t h a n k P r o f . C. I~. YANG f or s t i m u l a t i n g d i s c u s s i o n s a n d c o m -

m e n t s on t h e m a n u s c r i p t .
RIASSUNT0 (*)
Si ricava dalle cquazioni di moto per i campi quantici un sistema completo di equa-
zioni che descrivono l'intcrazionc f r a i l campo di Yang-Mills e particelle provviste di spin
isotopico nel limite classico. Si ricavano alcanc semplici conscguenzc. Si studia la coerenzu
delle cquazioni.
(*) Traduzione a cara della Redazione.
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CllCTeMa ypaBaeHHfI, orlllCblaatoIIIllX B3alIMO~e~cTBIIe Me~K/Iy rlo=leM fhlra-MtlnJlca H
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(') HepeeeOeno pec)alcque~.

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IL NUOVO CIMENTO VOL. LNV A, N.

Field and Particle Equations for the Classical Yang-Mills Field

(ricevuto il 20 Settembre 1969)

Summary. --- A complete system of equations describing the interaction

Difficulties still persist in the q u a n t u m t h e o r y of t h e u (1.2) field.

Consider t h e interaction b e t w e e n t h e Y~ng-Mills field b~,(x)(~) and a spin-89 field

(1) [X~, X~] = i s ~ X v .

The L a g r a n g i a n density is (4)

(3) f ~ = 8vb, -- 8~ bl, -? gb~,x b~ .

The field equations are

L e t us c o n c e n t r a t e first on (5), and regard it as a one-particle D i r a c e q u a t i o n

(7) H = c~,(p~ - - gb,. I) + mc2fl - - igcb4. I ,

where ~,, fl are the Dirac matrices, p ~ = ( ~ / i ) ~ , and I = ~ X satisfy t h e com-

(8) [I~, I~] = it~e~rI r .

I n t h e Heisenberg picture~ t h e following equations of m o t i o n s are obtained:

(a) Notar A four-vector ag has components (a~, a 2, a s, a4 = iao). Greek indices

Defining the mechanical momenta by

(13) dg, /dxi )

(14) ~. = gA," t(~) $~,

(15) i + gb~, • I~'~,~-- 0

(16) gfl(v) ~t, 6(~>(x -- ~(v)) d~.

Hence the field equation is

We notice an i m m e d i a t e consequence of (15):

The isotopic spin of e~ch particle thus performs a precessional motion.

(19) V~A= ~t,A + g b ~ x A

F r o m the free Yang-Mills field p a r t of the Lagr~ngi~n (2), the s y m m e t r i c energy-

T h e divergence of this tensor is

- 89 f o.Lo+ v Le-f e+Le-v f 0,

which justifies, as a corresponding equation in electrodynamics does, the inter-

In virtue of (20), a consequence of the field equation (17) is that

(25) 8~(1, + gb, x f~,,) = O .

I s h o u l d like to t h a n k P r o f . C. I~. YANG f or s t i m u l a t i n g d i s c u s s i o n s a n d c o m -

(*) Traduzione a cara della Redazione.

YpaBHeHti~l IloJle~ H qaCTHII ~Yl~! KAaCCHqecKoFo HOYBI $[HFa-MH.YlJICa

(') HepeeeOeno pec)alcque~.

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