Asymptotic symmetries of massless QED in even dimensions

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.4310/ATMP.2017.v21.n7.a6· OSTI ID:1598899

Kapec, Daniel ^[1]; Lysov, Vyacheslav ^[2]; Strominger, Andrew ^[1]

---

1. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
2. California Inst. of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)

In this work, we consider the scattering of massless particles coupled to an abelian gauge field in 2n-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. Weinberg’s soft photon theorem is recast asWard identities for infinitely many new nontrivial symmetries of the massless QED S-matrix, with one such identity arising for each propagation direction of the soft photon. These symmetries are identified as large gauge transformations with angle-dependent gauge parameters that are constant along the null generators of null infinity. Almost all of the symmetries are spontaneously broken in the standard vacuum and the soft photons are the corresponding Goldstone bosons. In conclusion, our result establishes a relationship between soft theorems and asymptotic symmetry groups in any even dimension.

• Research Organization: California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), High Energy Physics (HEP)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0011632; FG02-91ER40654
• OSTI ID: 1598899
• Journal Information: Advances in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics, Vol. 21, Issue 7; ISSN 1095-0761
• Publisher: International Press
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS