Axial vector vertex in spinor electrodynamics

TLDR: In this article, the axial-vector vertex in spinor electrodynamics has anomalous properties which differ with those found by the formal manipulation of field equations, and the divergence of axial vector current is not the usual expression calculated from the field equations.

Abstract: Working within the framework of perturbation theory, we show that the axial-vector vertex in spinor electrodynamics has anomalous properties which disagree with those found by the formal manipulation of field equations. Specifically, because of the presence of closed-loop "triangle diagrams," the divergence of axial-vector current is not the usual expression calculated from the field equations, and the axial-vector current does not satisfy the usual Ward identity. One consequence is that, even after the external-line wave-function renormalizations are made, the axial-vector vertex is still divergent in fourth- (and higher-) order perturbation theory. A corollary is that the radiative corrections to ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{l}l$ elastic scattering in the local current-current theory diverge in fourth (and higher) order. A second consequence is that, in massless electrodynamics, despite the fact that the theory is invariant under ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{5}$ tranformations, the axial-vector current is not conserved. In an Appendix we demonstrate the uniqueness of the triangle diagrams, and discuss a possible connection between our results and the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and $\ensuremath{\eta}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decays. In particular, we argue that as a result of triangle diagrams, the equations expressing partial conservation of axial-vector current (PCAC) for the neutral members of the axial-vector-current octet must be modified in a well-defined manner, which completely alters the PCAC predictions for the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ and the $\ensuremath{\eta}$ two-photon decays.