Spectrum of two-dimensional $su(2)$ gauge theories coupled to massless fermions in integer representations

Abstract

The spectra of two-dimensional $su(2)$ gauge theories coupled to a single massless Majorana fermion in integer representations, $J$, are numerically investigated using the Discrete Light-Cone Hamiltonian. One of our aims is to explore the possible presence of massless states for $J>2$ in spite of the absence of a continuous symmetry. After comparing to existing results for $J=1$ (adjoint fermions), we present results for $J=2,3,4$. As expected, for $J=2$ there are no massless states but in contrast to the $J=1$ theory, the lightest state is a boson. We find exact massless modes in the bosonic and fermionic sector for all values of total momentum for $J=3$ and $J=4$ and, in each sector, the number of massless modes grows with the value of the total momentum. In addition to the spectrum, we present results on the particle number and momentum fraction distributions and argue for a separation of bulk states from edge states.

arXiv comment21 pages, 6 figures; v2 contains minor text revisions, reference added, and was accepted for publication in PRD