TY - JOUR
T1 - Anomalies and fermion zero modes on strings and domain walls
AU - Callan, Curtis Gove
AU - Harvey, J. A.
N1 - Funding Information:
Supported in part by DOE grant no. DE-AC02-76ERR03072 2 Supported in part by NSF grant no. PHY80-19754 " This was noted independently by R. Rhom for the case of axion strings.
PY - 1985
Y1 - 1985
N2 - We show that the mathematical relation between non-abelian anomalies in 2n dimensions, the parity anomaly in 2n+1 dimensions, and the Dirac index density in 2n+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 2n+2 dimensions (such as occur in axion theories) or domain walls in 2n+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.
AB - We show that the mathematical relation between non-abelian anomalies in 2n dimensions, the parity anomaly in 2n+1 dimensions, and the Dirac index density in 2n+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 2n+2 dimensions (such as occur in axion theories) or domain walls in 2n+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.
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U2 - 10.1016/0550-3213(85)90489-4
DO - 10.1016/0550-3213(85)90489-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:33645920807
SN - 0550-3213
VL - 250
SP - 427
EP - 436
JO - Nuclear Physics, Section B
JF - Nuclear Physics, Section B
IS - 1-4
ER -