Anomalies and Fermion Zero Modes on Strings and Domain Walls

Oct, 1984
10 pages
Published in:
  • Nucl.Phys.B 250 (1985) 427-436
  • Published: 1985
Report number:
  • Print-84-0860 (PRINCETON)

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Abstract: (Elsevier)
We show that the mathematical relation between non-abelian anomalies in 2 n dimensions, the parity anomaly in 2 n +1 dimensions, and the Dirac index density in 2 n +2 dimensions can be understood in terms of the physics of fermion zero modes on strings and domain walls. We show that the Dirac equation possesses chiral zero modes in the presence of strings in 2 n +2 dimensions (such as occur in axion theories) or domain walls in 2 n +1 dimensions. We show that the anomalies due to the chiral zero modes are exactly cancelled by anomalies due to the coupling of axion-like fields to the Dirac index density or by anomalies due to the induced topological mass term.
  • GAUGE FIELD THEORY: NONABELIAN
  • GAUGE FIELD THEORY: HIGHER-DIMENSIONAL
  • FERMION: FIELD THEORY
  • FIELD THEORY: SCALAR
  • Dirac equation
  • ANOMALY
  • MODEL: STRING
  • POSTULATED PARTICLE: AXION
  • GRAVITATION
  • PARITY: VIOLATION