Fermion determinants and effective actions

Journal Article · Sat Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Journal of Mathematical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.531870· OSTI ID:466868

Mukku, C ^[1]

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1. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, School of Mathematics and Computer/Information Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad-500 046 (India)

Configuration space heat-kernel methods are used to evaluate the determinant and hence the effective action for a SU(2) doublet of fermions in interaction with a {ital covariantly constant} SU(2) background field. Exact results are exhibited that are applicable to {ital any} Abelian background on which the only restriction is that (B{sup 2}{minus}E{sup 2}) and E{center_dot}B are constant. Such fields include the uniform field and the plane wave field. The fermion propagator is also given in terms of gauge covariant objects. An extension to include finite temperature effects is given and the probability for creation of fermions from the vacuum at finite temperature in the presence of an electric field is discussed. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}

• OSTI ID: 466868
• Journal Information: Journal of Mathematical Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Mathematical Physics Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 38; ISSN 0022-2488; ISSN JMAPAQ
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
ACTION INTEGRAL
DIRAC EQUATION
ELECTRIC FIELDS
FERMIONS
KERNELS
PROBABILITY
PROPAGATOR
SU-2 GROUPS
UNIFIED GAUGE MODELS