Ghosts as negative spinors

DOI10.1016/S0550-3213(02)00636-3MaRDI QIDQ701538zbMATH OpenFDO

Authors André J. van Tonder

Publication date 3 November 2002

Published in Nuclear Physics B (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0207110

zbMATH Keywords

Casimir operatorsirreducible su(2) Lie-algebra representationunit negative-entropy carrier

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Finite-dimensional groups and algebras motivated by physics and their representations (81R05) Spinor and twistor methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81R25)

Abstract: We study the the properties of a BRST ghost degree of freedom complementary to a two-state spinor. We show that the ghost may be regarded as a unit carrier of negative entropy. We construct an irreducible representation of the su(2) Lie algebra with negative spin, equal to -1/2, on the ghost state space and discuss the representation of finite SU(2) group elements. The Casimir operator J^2 of the combined spinor-ghost system is nilpotent and coincides with the BRST operator Q. Using this, we discuss the sense in which the positive and negative spin representations cancel in the product to give an effectively trivial representation. We compute an effective dimension, equal to 1/2, and character for the ghost representation and argue that these are consistent with this cancellation.

Recommendations

• On the representation theory of negative spin
• Entangled spins and ghost-spins
• On ghost fermions
• On the state space of the dipole ghost
• Remarks on mathematical structure of BRST theories

Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1043655 (Why is no real title available?)
• On the representation theory of negative spin

Cited in

(6)

• Negative-spin quasiparticles in quantum Hall effect
• GHOSTS AND TACHYONS IN THE FIFTH DIMENSION
• Cohomology and decomposition of tensor product representations of \(\text{SL}(2,\mathbb R)\)
• THE SUPERFIELD QUANTISATION OF A SUPERPARTICLE ACTION WITH AN EXTENDED LINE ELEMENT
• Entangled spins and ghost-spins
• On the representation theory of negative spin

This page was built for publication: Ghosts as negative spinors

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q701538)