Dirac's hole theory versus quantum field theory

Dirac's hole theory and quantum field theory are usually considered equivalent to each other. For models of a certain type, however, the equivalence may not hold as we discuss in this Letter. This problem is closely related to the validity of the Pauli principle in intermediate states of perturbation theory.Comment: No figure

Two definitions of the electric polarizability of a bound system in relativistic quantum theory

For the electric polarizability of a bound system in relativistic quantum theory, there are two definitions that have appeared in the literature. They differ depending on whether or not the vacuum background is included in the system. A recent confusion in this connection is clarified

Validity of Feynman's prescription of disregarding the Pauli principle in intermediate states

Regarding the Pauli principle in quantum field theory and in many-body quantum mechanics, Feynman advocated that Pauli's exclusion principle can be completely ignored in intermediate states of perturbation theory. He observed that all virtual processes (of the same order) that violate the Pauli principle cancel out. Feynman accordingly introduced a prescription, which is to disregard the Pauli principle in all intermediate processes. This ingeneous trick is of crucial importance in the Feynman diagram technique. We show, however, an example in which Feynman's prescription fails. This casts doubts on the general validity of Feynman's prescription

Top quark forward-backward asymmetry from the 3−3−13-3-1 model

The forward-backward asymmetry $A_{FB}$ in top quark pair production, measured at the Tevatron, is probably related to the contribution of new particles. The Tevatron result is more than a $2\sigma$ deviation from the standard model prediction and motivates the application of alternative models introducing new states. However, as the standard model predictions for the total cross section $\sigma_{tt}$ and invariant mass distribution $M_{tt}$ for this process are in good agreement with experiments, any alternative model must reproduce these predictions. These models can be placed into two categories: One introduces the s-channel exchange of new vector bosons with chiral couplings to the light quarks and to the top quark and another relies on the t-channel exchange of particles with large flavor-violating couplings in the quark sector. In this work we employ a model which introduces both s- and t-channel nonstandard contributions for the top quark pair production in proton antiproton collisions. We use the minimal version of the $SU(3)_C \otimes SU(3)_L \otimes U (1)_X$ model (3-3-1 model) that predicts the existence of a new neutral gauge boson, called $Z^\prime$. This gauge boson has both flavor-changing couplings to up and top quarks and chiral coupling to the light quarks and to the top quark. This very peculiar model coupling can correct the $A_{FB}$ for top quark pair production for two ranges of $Z^\prime$ mass while leading to cross section and invariant mass distribution quite similar to the standard model ones. This result reinforces the role of the 3-3-1 model for any new physics effect.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Bounds on Z′Z^\prime from 3-3-1 model at the LHC energies

The Large Hadron Collider will restart with higher energy and luminosity in 2015. This achievement opens the possibility of discovering new phenomena hardly described by the Standard Model, that is based on two neutral gauge bosons: the photon and the $Z$. This perspective imposes a deep and systematic study of models that predicts the existence of new neutral gauge bosons. One of such models is based on the gauge group $SU(3)_C \times SU(3)_L \times U(1)_N$ called 3-3-1 model for short. In this paper we perform a study with $Z^\prime$ predicted in two versions of the 3-3-1 model and compare the signature of this resonance in each model version. By considering the present and future LHC energy regimes, we obtain some distributions and the total cross section for the process $p + p \longrightarrow \ell^{+} + \ell^{-} + X$. Additionally, we derive lower bounds on $Z^\prime$ mass from the latest LHC results. Finally we analyze the LHC potential for discovering this neutral gauge boson at 14 TeV center-of-mass energy.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, 2 table

Some remarks on Dirac's hole theory versus quantum field theory

Dirac's hole theory and quantum field theory are generally considered to be equivalent to each other. However, it has recently been shown that this is not necessarily the case. In this article we will discuss the reason for this lack of equivalence and suggest a possible solution.Comment: Correction to title and other minor changes to reflect the version to be published in the Canadian Journal of Physic