# References

It is well known that the $`S`$-matrix of an integrable two-dimensional quantum field theory factorises into products of two-particle amplitudes. Then, the property of factorisation itself and the usual ‘axioms’ of $`S`$-matrix theory constrain the allowed form of the $`S`$-matrix to such an extent that it becomes possible to conjecture its form. Namely, consistency with factorisation translates into the ‘Yang Baxter equation’ while, on general grounds, it is assumed that the $`S`$-matrix exhibits ‘unitarity’, ‘crossing symmetry’, ‘analyticity’, and satisfies the ‘bootstrap equations’  (for a nice recent review see  and the references therein).

In addition to this, and especially when the $`S`$-matrix is diagonal, many works on factorised $`S`$-matrices assume ‘Real analyticity’. This means that two-particle amplitudes are not only analytic functions of their arguments, but they take complex-conjugate values at complex-conjugate points. However, this is not required by the usual $`S`$-matrix axioms.

The aim of this letter is to review the consequences of analyticity for two-dimensional $`S`$-matrix amplitudes, and to serve as a reminder that Real analyticity is not essential. In the framework of $`S`$-matrix theory, it is just a special case of a general condition known as ‘Hermitian analyticity’  which is valid only when the theory happens to be time-reversal symmetric. For the two-particle $`S`$-matrix amplitudes, we will deduce the form of the Hermitian analyticity constraints which are given by eq. (21) and constitute our main result.

We provide several examples of diagonal $`S`$-matrices which are Hermitian analytic but not Real analytic. All of them correspond to non-parity invariant integrable field theories. The simplest is a fermion model proposed by Federbush in 1960 . The others are different quantum field theories associated with the non-abelian affine Toda equations recently constructed in . In all these cases, the scattering amplitudes between different particles are not Real analytic. Instead, those amplitudes connected through a parity transformation are related in such a way that Real analyticity would be satisfied if the theory becomes parity invariant. This unusual analyticity condition is just a consequence of Hermitian analyticity.

Other cases where Real analyticity is not satisfied arise in the quantum group approach to factorised $`S`$-matrices  and, in particular, to (abelian) affine Toda field theories with imaginary coupling constant . There, the $`S`$-matrix is a quantum group $`R`$-matrix times a Real analytic scalar factor, which implies that those amplitudes whose matrix structure is trivial are Real analytic. In this approach, the relationship between the analytic continuations of the different amplitudes is dictated by the properties of the $`R`$-matrix and, in general, Hermitian analyticity is not satisfied either.

At this point it is important to mention that, in the framework of standard $`S`$-matrix theory where Hermitian analyticity is formulated, the axiom of ‘unitarity’ actually means that the $`S`$-matrix is unitary: $`S^{}S=1`$. In contrast, in the quantum group approach the role of unitarity is played by another condition called ‘$`R`$-matrix unitarity’ (RU). In fact, Takács and Watts have recently highlighted that some of the resulting $`S`$-matrices are not unitary, which does not prevent them describing physically relevant (non-unitary) models . We will show that Hermitian analyticity ensures that RU is equivalent to physical unitarity without any extra requirements. In other words, Hermitian analyticity is a sufficient condition to guarantee that a factorised $`S`$-matrix obtained through the quantum group approach is unitary.

An excellent classical review of analyticity in $`S`$-matrix theory is provided by the book of Eden et al. , which will be our main reference in the following. Analyticity is the assumption that the physical $`S`$-matrix amplitudes are real boundary values of analytic functions as a consequence of causality and the existence of macroscopic time. On top of this, the unitarity equations are expected to evaluate the discontinuities of those analytic functions across their normal-threshold cuts. This requires that the physical $`S`$\- and $`S^{}`$-matrix amplitudes are opposite boundary values of the same analytic functions, which states the property known as Hermitian analyticity .

Let us consider a generic integrable theory whose spectrum consists of several degenerate multiplets labelled by a set of finite dimensional vector spaces $`V_A,V_B,\mathrm{}`$ with different masses $`m_A,m_B,\mathrm{}`$. Particles in the same multiplet will be distinguished by a flavour index ‘$`i`$’ and, for simplicity, we will assume that all these particles are bosonic. Since the theory is integrable, the only non-vanishing (connected) two-particle $`S`$-matrix amplitudes are of the form

$$\stackrel{}{k}_{A_k},\stackrel{}{k}_{B_l}S1\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i},\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}=(2\pi )^2\delta ^{(2)}(p_{A_i}+p_{B_j}k_{A_k}k_{B_l})i_{ijkl}^{AB},$$
(1)   
where $`|\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i},\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}`$ is the state of two particles with mass $`m_A`$ and $`m_B`$, and momentum $`\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i}`$ and $`\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}`$:

$$|\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i},\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}=a_{A_i}^{}(\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i})a_{B_j}^{}(\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j})|0.$$
(2)   
Lorentz invariance allows one to decompose the scattering amplitude into scalar and pseudoscalar parts:

$$_{ijkl}^{AB}=M_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)+\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}4}ϵ_{\mu \nu }p_{A_i}^\mu p_{B_j}^\nu P_{ijkl}^{AB}(s),$$
(3)   
where $`M_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)`$ and $`P_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)`$ are functions of the Mandelstam variable $`s=(p_{A_i}+p_{B_j})^2`$ only.

Analyticity postulates that the scalar and pseudoscalar components of the scattering amplitudes, $`M_{ijkl}^{AB}`$ and $`P_{ijkl}^{AB}`$, are boundary values of analytic functions. This means that they can be continued to complex values of $`s`$, and that the resulting functions are analytic. In this case, since the theory is integrable, they should exhibit only two cuts along $`s(m_A+m_B)^2`$ and $`s(m_Am_B)^2`$ on the real axis with square root branching points, corresponding to the physical processes in the $`s`$\- and $`t`$-channel, respectively. Then, the physical $`s`$-channel amplitudes are given by the limit onto the cut from the upper-half complex $`s`$-plane,

$$M_{ijkl}^{AB^{\mathrm{phys}}}(s)=\underset{ϵ0^+}{lim}M_{ijkl}^{AB}(s+iϵ),P_{ijkl}^{AB^{\mathrm{phys}}}(s)=\underset{ϵ0^+}{lim}P_{ijkl}^{AB}(s+iϵ),$$
(4)   
which is the generalization of the well known Feynman’s $`iϵ`$ prescription in perturbation theory.

Hermitian analyticity goes one step beyond. It postulates that the physical $`S`$\- and $`S^{}`$-matrix amplitudes are opposite boundary values of the same analytic functions, a property that has been proved in perturbation theory , in potential theory , and using $`S`$-matrix theory alone  (see  and the references therein). Since

$$\stackrel{}{k}_{A_k},\stackrel{}{k}_{B_l}S^{}1\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i},\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}=\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i},\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}S1\stackrel{}{k}_{A_k},\stackrel{}{k}_{B_l}^{},$$
(5)   
this condition can be written as

$$\left[M_{klij}^{AB^{\mathrm{phys}}}(s)\right]^{}=\underset{ϵ0^+}{lim}M_{ijkl}^{AB}(siϵ),$$
(6)   
and a similar equation for $`P_{ijkl}^{AB}`$. Therefore, taking into account that both $`M_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)`$ and $`M_{klij}^{AB}(s)`$ are analytic functions of $`s`$, and using that if $`f(z)`$ is analytic so also is $`g(z)=[f(z^{})]^{}`$, Hermitian analyticity results in the following relationships:

$$M_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)=\left[M_{klij}^{AB}(s^{})\right]^{},P_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)=\left[P_{klij}^{AB}(s^{})\right]^{}.$$
(7)   
An immediate and vital consequence of Hermitian analyticity is that the unitarity equations $`S^{}S=1`$ evaluate the discontinuities of $`M_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)`$ and $`P_{ijkl}^{AB}(s)`$ across the two-particle cuts .

In two-dimensions, it is customary to use rapidities instead of momenta,

$$(p_{A_i}^0,\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i})=(m_A\mathrm{cosh}\theta _{A_i},m_A\mathrm{sinh}\theta _{A_i}).$$
(8)   
Then, the (real) Mandelstam variable $`s`$ is a function of the absolute value of the rapidity difference of the colliding particles $`\theta =|\theta _{A_i}\theta _{B_j}|>0`$,

$$s=(p_a+p_b)^2=m_a^2+m_b^2+\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}2}m_am_b\mathrm{cosh}\theta ,$$
(9)   
and the two-particle amplitudes become functions of $`\theta `$. Understood as complex variables, the change of variables between $`s`$ and $`\theta `$ allows one to open the two cuts. Hence, $`M_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )`$ and $`P_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )`$ are meromorphic and the physical sheet is mapped into the region $`0\mathrm{Im}\theta \pi `$, which is the first Riemann sheet in the complex $`\theta `$-plane.

Regarding analyticity, notice that

$$\underset{ϵ0^+}{lim}M_{ijkl}^{AB}(s\pm iϵ)=M_{ijkl}^{AB}(\pm \theta ),\theta >0.$$
(10)   
Therefore, since the amplitudes are meromorphic functions of $`\theta `$, the Hermitian analyticity relationships (7) translate into

$$M_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )=\left[M_{klij}^{AB}(\theta ^{})\right]^{},P_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )=\left[P_{klij}^{AB}(\theta ^{})\right]^{}.$$
(11)   
Finally, let us consider the full $`S`$-matrix amplitude corresponding to (1):

$$\stackrel{}{k}_{A_k},\stackrel{}{k}_{B_l}S\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i},\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}=4(2\pi )^2\delta (\theta _{A_i}\theta _{A_k})\delta (\theta _{B_j}\theta _{B_l})𝒮_{ijkl}^{AB},$$
(12)   
where

$`𝒮_{ijkl}^{AB}=\delta _{ik}\delta _{jl}+i{\displaystyle \frac{_{ijkl}^{AB}}{4m_Am_B\mathrm{sinh}\theta }}`$   
$`=\delta _{ik}\delta _{jl}+i\left({\displaystyle \frac{M_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )}{4m_Am_B\mathrm{sinh}\theta }}+P_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )\mathrm{sign}(\theta _{A_i}\theta _{B_j})\right),`$ (13)   
and we have used that

$$4ϵ_{\mu \nu }p_{A_i}^\mu p_{B_j}^\nu =\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}4}m_Am_B\mathrm{sinh}(\theta _{A_i}\theta _{B_j})=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}4}m_Am_B\mathrm{sinh}\theta \mathrm{sign}(\theta _{A_i}\theta _{B_j}),$$
(14)   
together with the standard relativistic normalization

$$\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i}=\delta _{AB}\delta _{ij}(2\pi )\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}2}p_{A_i}^0\delta (\stackrel{}{p}_{A_i}\stackrel{}{p}_{B_j}).$$
(15)   
Using the Heaviside function $`\vartheta (x)=0`$ if $`x<0`$ and $`=1`$ if $`x>0`$, eq. (13) can be written as

$$𝒮_{ijkl}^{AB}=\vartheta (\theta _{A_i}\theta _{B_j})S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )+\vartheta (\theta _{B_j}\theta _{A_i})S_{BA}^{}{}_{ji}{}^{nm}(\theta ),$$
(16)   
where

$$S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )=\delta _{ik}\delta _{jl}+i\left(\frac{M_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )}{4m_Am_B\mathrm{sinh}\theta }+P_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )\right),$$
(17)   
is the scattering amplitude of the process where particle $`A_i`$ initially is on the left-hand side of particle $`B_j`$, while

$$S_{BA}^{}{}_{ji}{}^{lk}(\theta )=\delta _{ik}\delta _{jl}+i\left(\frac{M_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )}{4m_Am_B\mathrm{sinh}\theta }P_{ijkl}^{AB}(\theta )\right),$$
(18)   
is the amplitude of the process where $`A_i`$ initially is on the right-hand side of $`B_j`$. These amplitudes can be seen as the matrix elements of two maps 

$$S_{AB}(\theta ):V_AV_BV_BV_A,S_{BA}(\theta ):V_BV_AV_AV_B,$$
(19)   
where $`\theta `$ is the rapidity difference of the incoming particles. Equivalently, in the symbolic algebraic notation commonly used to describe two-dimensional factorised $`S`$-matrix theories , they correspond to

$`A_i(\theta )B_j(\theta ^{})={\displaystyle \underset{k,l}{}}S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta \theta ^{})B_l(\theta ^{})A_k(\theta ),`$   
$`B_j(\theta )A_i(\theta ^{})={\displaystyle \underset{k,l}{}}S_{BA}^{}{}_{ji}{}^{lk}(\theta \theta ^{})A_k(\theta ^{})B_l(\theta ).`$ (20)   
The two-particle amplitudes $`S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}`$ and $`S_{BA}^{}{}_{ji}{}^{lk}`$ are analytic functions of $`\theta `$. Moreover, taking into account (11), (17), and (18), they satisfy

$$S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )=\left[S_{BA}^{}{}_{lk}{}^{ji}(\theta ^{})\right]^{}$$
(21)   
which summarises Hermitian analyticity in two-dimensional factorised $`S`$-matrix theories and is our central result. Eq. (21) means that the two maps defined in (19) are related according to $`S_{AB}(\theta )=S_{BA}^{}(\theta ^{})`$, where the dagger stands for Hermitian conjugation.

A direct consequence of (21) is that the scattering amplitudes will not be Real analytic functions unless they exhibit additional symmetry properties. To spell this out, recall the behaviour of the two-particle $`S`$-matrix amplitudes with respect to parity (P) and time-reversal (T) transformations:

$$\mathrm{P}:S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )S_{BA}^{}{}_{ji}{}^{lk}(\theta ),\mathrm{T}:S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )S_{BA}^{}{}_{lk}{}^{ji}(\theta ).$$
(22)   
This shows that Real analyticity is a special case of Hermitian analyticity which is valid only when the amplitude happens to be symmetric with respect to time-reversal transformations, a conclusion that could have been anticipated on general grounds .

Another important consequence of (21) concerns the formulation of the unitarity condition. For real $`\theta >0`$, the unitarity of the $`S`$-matrix, $`S^{}S=1`$, translates into

$$\underset{k,l}{}S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )\left[S_{AB}^{}{}_{i^{}j^{}}{}^{kl}(\theta )\right]^{}=\delta _{ii^{}}\delta _{jj^{}}.$$
(23)   
However, using the Hermitian analyticity condition (21), unitarity can be equivalently written as

$$\underset{k,l}{}S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )S_{BA}^{}{}_{lk}{}^{j^{}i^{}}(\theta )=\delta _{ii^{}}\delta _{jj^{}},$$
(24)   
which is nothing else than the condition of ‘$`R`$-matrix unitarity’ (RU) that arises naturally in the quantum group approach to factorised $`S`$-matrices . Actually, to be precise, RU is the analytic continuation of (24) to the complex $`\theta `$-plane. Therefore, we conclude that there is no difference between physical unitarity and the quantum group inspired $`R`$-matrix unitarity if the $`S`$-matrix amplitudes exhibit Hermitian analyticity.

In order to validate the Hermitian analyticity condition given by eq. (21), it is necessary to check whether it is preserved by the bootstrap equations. Suppose that $`S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )`$ has a simple pole at $`\theta =iu_{AB}^C`$ on the physical strip corresponding to a bound state in the multiplet $`V_{\overline{C}}`$. Thus, its residue is provided by the projector of $`V_AV_B`$ into $`V_{\overline{C}}V_BV_A`$ and, near the pole, the amplitude will be of the form

$$S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )\frac{i}{\theta iu_{AB}^C}\underset{a}{}G_{ij}^aH_{lk}^{a}{}_{}{}^{},$$
(25)   
where, in the symbolic notation of  already used in eq. (20), the coupling constants $`G_{ij}^a`$ and $`H_{ji}^a`$ are defined through the identities <sup>1</sup><sup>1</sup>1In these equations, we use the standard notation for the fusion angles such that $`\overline{u}_{AB}^C=\pi u_{AB}^C`$, $`\overline{u}_{AC}^B+\overline{u}_{BC}^A+\overline{u}_{AB}^C=\pi `$, and $`m_{\overline{C}}=\mathrm{e}^{+i\overline{u}_{AC}^B}m_A+\mathrm{e}^{i\overline{u}_{BC}^A}m_B`$.

$`\underset{\theta _1\theta _2iu_{AB}^C}{lim}\left(\theta _1\theta _2iu_{AB}^C\right)A_i(\theta _1)B_j(\theta _2)=i{\displaystyle \underset{a}{}}G_{ij}^a\overline{C}_a\left({\displaystyle \frac{\theta _1i\overline{u}_{AC}^B+\theta _2+i\overline{u}_{BC}^A}{2}}\right),`$   
$`\overline{C}_a(\theta )={\displaystyle \underset{kl}{}}H_{lk}^{a}{}_{}{}^{}B_l(\theta i\overline{u}_{BC}^A)A_k(\theta +i\overline{u}_{AC}^B).`$ (26)   
Correspondingly, using the Hermitian analyticity condition,

$$S_{BA}^{}{}_{lk}{}^{ji}(\theta )=\left[S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta ^{})\right]^{}\frac{i}{\theta iu_{AB}^C}\underset{a}{}H_{lk}^aG_{ij}^{a}{}_{}{}^{},$$
(27)   
which shows that the amplitude $`S_{BA}^{}{}_{lk}{}^{ji}(\theta )`$ also exhibits a simple pole at the same location. Moreover, it provides an equivalent definition of the coupling constants through the projection of $`V_BV_A`$ into $`V_{\overline{C}}V_AV_B`$:

$`\underset{\theta _1\theta _2iu_{AB}^C}{lim}\left(\theta _1\theta _2iu_{AB}^C\right)B_l(\theta _1)A_k(\theta _2)=i{\displaystyle \underset{a}{}}H_{lk}^a\overline{C}_a\left({\displaystyle \frac{\theta _1i\overline{u}_{BC}^A+\theta _2+i\overline{u}_{AC}^B}{2}}\right),`$   
$`\overline{C}_a(\theta )={\displaystyle \underset{ij}{}}G_{ij}^{a}{}_{}{}^{}A_i(\theta i\overline{u}_{AC}^B)B_j(\theta +i\overline{u}_{BC}^A),`$ (28)   
In other words, $`G_{ij}^a`$ and $`H_{ji}^a`$ are the coupling constants of the fusions $`A_iB_j\overline{C}_a`$ and $`B_jA_i\overline{C}_a`$, respectively, and, since the amplitudes are not always parity symmetric, $`G_{ij}^aH_{ji}^a`$ in general. Eqs. (25) and (27) imply that, near the pole, the map $`S_{AB}(\theta )`$ is of the form

$$S_{AB}(\theta )\frac{i}{\theta iu_{AB}^C}P_{BA}^{C}{}_{}{}^{}P_{AB}^C,$$
(29)   
where $`P_{AB}^C:V_AV_BV_{\overline{C}}`$ is a projection operator. Eq. (29) is explicitly consistent with the Hermitian analyticity condition and manifests that the poles in $`S_{AB}(\theta )`$ and $`S_{BA}(\theta )`$ correspond to particles in the same multiplet $`V_{\overline{C}}`$.

The bootstrap equations express the fact that there is no difference whether the scattering process with any particle in, say, $`V_D`$ occurs before or after the fusion of particles $`A_i`$ and $`B_j`$ into particle $`\overline{C}_a`$. In our case, using eqs. (26) and (28), this condition allows one to write four different but equivalent expressions for the scattering amplitudes involving the particles in $`V_{\overline{C}}`$ and $`V_D`$. For our purposes, it will be enough to consider only the following two

$`{\displaystyle \underset{b}{}}S_{\overline{C}D}^{}{}_{am}{}^{bn}(\theta )H_{lk}^{b}{}_{}{}^{}`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \underset{ij}{}}H_{ji}^{a}{}_{}{}^{}S_{AD}^{}{}_{im}{}^{kp}(\theta +i\overline{u}_{AC}^B)S_{BD}^{}{}_{jp}{}^{ln}(\theta i\overline{u}_{BC}^A),`$   
$`{\displaystyle \underset{b}{}}H_{lk}^bS_{D\overline{C}}^{}{}_{nb}{}^{ma}(\theta )`$ $`=`$ $`{\displaystyle \underset{ij}{}}S_{DB}^{}{}_{nl}{}^{pj}(\theta i\overline{u}_{BC}^A)S_{DA}^{}{}_{pk}{}^{mi}(\theta +i\overline{u}_{AC}^B)H_{ji}^a.`$ (30)   
Then, if the scattering amplitudes for the particles in $`V_A`$, $`V_B`$, and $`V_D`$ satisfy the condition (21), it is straightforward to check that

$$\underset{b}{}S_{\overline{C}D}^{}{}_{am}{}^{bn}(\theta )H_{lk}^{b}{}_{}{}^{}=\underset{b}{}\left[H_{lk}^bS_{D\overline{C}}^{}{}_{nb}{}^{ma}(\theta ^{})\right]^{},$$
(31)   
which proves that the amplitudes $`S_{\overline{C}D}^{}{}_{am}{}^{bn}`$ and $`S_{D\overline{C}}^{}{}_{nb}{}^{ma}`$ obtained by means of the bootstrap principle are also Hermitian analytic.

It is worth noticing that the Hermitian analyticity constraints given by eq. (21) cannot be satisfied in all possible bases on $`V_A,V_B,\mathrm{}`$. Consider the following change of basis on $`V_A`$ and $`V_B`$: $`A_i(\theta )\stackrel{~}{A}_i(\theta )=_pL_{A}^{}{}_{i}{}^{p}(\theta )A_p(\theta )`$ and $`B_j(\varphi )\stackrel{~}{B}_j(\varphi )=_qL_{B}^{}{}_{i}{}^{q}(\varphi )B_q(\varphi )`$, where $`L_A(\theta )`$ and $`L_B(\varphi )`$ are invertible but not necessarily unitary matrices. In the new basis, the scattering amplitude $`S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta \varphi )`$ becomes

$$S_{\stackrel{~}{A}\stackrel{~}{B}}^{}{}_{pq}{}^{rs}(\theta \varphi )=\underset{i,j,k,l}{}L_{A}^{}{}_{p}{}^{i}(\theta )L_{B}^{}{}_{q}{}^{j}(\varphi )S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta \varphi )L_{B}^{1}{}_{l}{}^{s}(\varphi )L_{A}^{1}{}_{k}{}^{r}(\theta ).$$
(32)   
Then, if $`S_{\stackrel{~}{A}\stackrel{~}{B}}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}`$ satisfies the Hermitian analyticity condition (21) it is straightforward to check that

$$\underset{p,q}{}M_{A}^{}{}_{i}{}^{p}(\theta )M_{B}^{}{}_{j}{}^{q}(\varphi )S_{AB}^{}{}_{pq}{}^{kl}(\theta \varphi )=\underset{r,s}{}\left[S_{BA}^{}{}_{sr}{}^{ji}(\varphi ^{}\theta ^{})\right]^{}M_{A}^{}{}_{r}{}^{k}(\theta )M_{B}^{}{}_{s}{}^{l}(\varphi ),$$
(33)   
where

$$M_{A}^{}{}_{k}{}^{i}(\theta )=\underset{p}{}L_{A}^{}{}_{p}{}^{i}(\theta )\left[L_{A}^{}{}_{p}{}^{k}(\theta ^{})\right]^{}\mathrm{and}M_{B}^{}{}_{l}{}^{j}(\varphi )=\underset{p}{}L_{B}^{}{}_{p}{}^{j}(\varphi )\left[L_{B}^{}{}_{p}{}^{l}(\varphi ^{})\right]^{}.$$
(34)   
Therefore, given a set of two-particle scattering amplitudes, a sufficient condition to ensure that there is a basis where they are Hermitian analytic is that there exists two matrices $`M_A`$ and $`M_B`$ of the form given by eq. (34) such that the constraints (33) hold. Notice that, $`M_A`$ and $`M_B`$ are hermitian positive definite matrices for real values of $`\theta `$. We will refer to this condition as ‘weak’ Hermitian analyticity, thus making reference to the fact that it generalizes a condition found by Liguori, Mintchev and Rossi in the context of exchange algebras . There, the amplitudes $`S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )`$ for real values of $`\theta `$ provide the exchange factors, and weak Hermitian analyticity arises as a sufficient condition to allow the construction of a unitary scattering operator in a Fock representation of the algebra.

In the rest of the letter, we provide several examples of diagonal $`S`$-matrix theories where Hermitian analyticity holds but Real analyticity is not satisfied. In all these cases the multiplets are not degenerate and, hence, no flavour indices are needed. Then, the Hermitian analyticity condition (21) simplifies to

$$S_{AB}(\theta )=\left[S_{BA}(\theta ^{})\right]^{}.$$
(35)   
It is worth noticing that, in the diagonal case, the P and T transformations of the $`S`$-matrix amplitudes are identical. This explains why all our examples involve non-parity invariant theories.

Our first example will be the Federbush model , which was studied in great detail, among others, by Schroer, Truong, and Weisz . The Federbush model describes two massive Dirac fields $`\psi _I`$ and $`\psi _{II}`$ whose interaction Lagrangian is

$$L_{\mathrm{FM}}=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}2}\pi \lambda ϵ_{\mu \nu }J_I^\mu J_{II}^\nu ,$$
(36)   
where $`J_I^\mu `$ and $`J_{II}^\nu `$ are the conserved vector currents of the Dirac fields. The two-particle $`S`$-matrix amplitudes of the Federbush model are particularly simple and can be written as 

$$S_{I,I}(\theta )=S_{II,II}(\theta )=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}1},S_{I,II}(\theta )=\mathrm{e}^{2\pi \lambda i},S_{II,I}(\theta )=\mathrm{e}^{+2\pi \lambda i}.$$
(37)   
Since they are given just by rapidity independent phase factors, the amplitudes $`S_{I,II}`$ and $`S_{II,I}`$ are clearly not Real analytic. However, it is straightforward to check that they satisfy eq. (35) or, in other words, that the $`S`$-matrix of the Federbush model is Hermitian analytic.

The second example is provided by the integrable perturbation of the $`SO(3)_k`$ Wess-Zumino-Witten model discussed by Brazhnikov in <sup>2</sup><sup>2</sup>2Using the construction of ref. , the model of Brazhnikov can be described as a Symmetric Space sine-Gordon (SSSG) theory associated with the compact type-I symmetric space $`SU(3)/SO(3)`$, and it is expected that many other SSSG theories exhibit similar properties. The spectrum of stable fundamental (or basic) particles consists just of two particles $`\psi `$ and $`\vartheta `$ associated with the two simple roots of $`su(2)`$, the Lie algebra of $`SO(3)`$, whose mass can be taken to be different. The two-particle scattering amplitude for $`\psi `$ and $`\vartheta `$ has been calculated at tree-level in  and, properly normalized, the result is

$$S_{\psi \vartheta }(\theta )=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}1}+\frac{2i}{k\mathrm{sinh}(\theta \theta _0)}+\mathrm{}=\left[S_{\vartheta \psi }(\theta ^{})\right]^{},$$
(38)   
where $`\theta _0`$ is a non-vanishing real constant whose value depends on the coupling constants of the model. These tree-level amplitudes are not Real analytic but, on the contrary, they satisfy the Hermitian analyticity condition eq. (35).

As our last example, let us consider the Homogenous sine-Gordon (HSG) theories constructed in . There is a HSG theory for each simple compact Lie group $`G`$ that corresponds to an integrable perturbation of the conformal field theory (CFT) associated with the coset $`G_k/U(1)^{\times r_g}`$, where $`r_g`$ is the rank of $`G`$, or, equivalently, of the theory of level-$`k`$ $`G`$-parafermions . The semiclassical spectrum of stable particles of the HSG theories has been obtained in . If the group $`G`$ is simply laced, the spectrum consists of $`k1`$ particles for each simple root $`\stackrel{}{\alpha }_i`$ of $`g`$, the Lie algebra of $`G`$, whose masses are given by

$$M_{\stackrel{}{\alpha }_i}(n)=\frac{k}{\pi }m_{\stackrel{}{\alpha }_i}\mathrm{sin}\left(\frac{\pi n}{k}\right),i=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}1},\mathrm{},r_g,n=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}1},\mathrm{},k1.$$
(39)   
In this equation,

$$m_{\stackrel{}{\alpha }_i}=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}2}m\sqrt{(\stackrel{}{\alpha }_i\stackrel{}{\lambda }_+)(\stackrel{}{\alpha }_i\stackrel{}{\lambda }_{})},$$
(40)   
the constant $`m`$ is the only dimensionful parameter of the theory, and $`\stackrel{}{\lambda }_\pm `$ are continuous vector coupling constants taking values in the fundamental Weyl chamber of the Cartan subalgebra of $`g`$. For a generic choice of $`\stackrel{}{\lambda }_\pm `$, all these masses will be different, and an exact diagonal $`S`$-matrix for these theories has been recently proposed . For our purposes, it will be enough to quote the result for $`G=SU(3)`$. For the fundamental particles, corresponding to $`n=1`$ in (39), the two-particle amplitudes can be written as

$`S_{\stackrel{}{\alpha }_j,\stackrel{}{\alpha }_j}(\theta )={\displaystyle \frac{\mathrm{sinh}\frac{1}{2}\left(\theta +\frac{2\pi }{k}i\right)}{\mathrm{sinh}\frac{1}{2}\left(\theta \frac{2\pi }{k}i\right)}},j=\mathrm{\hspace{0.25em}1},2,`$   
$`S_{\stackrel{}{\alpha }_1,\stackrel{}{\alpha }_2}(\theta )=\mathrm{e}^{ϵ\frac{\pi }{k}i}{\displaystyle \frac{\mathrm{sinh}\frac{1}{2}\left(\theta \sigma \frac{\pi }{k}i\right)}{\mathrm{sinh}\frac{1}{2}\left(\theta \sigma +\frac{\pi }{k}i\right)}}=\left[S_{\stackrel{}{\alpha }_2,\stackrel{}{\alpha }_1}(\theta ^{})\right]^{},`$ (41)   
where the value of the real parameter $`\sigma `$ depends on the coupling constants $`\stackrel{}{\lambda }_\pm `$, and $`ϵ`$ can be taken to be $`+1`$ or $`1`$. Eq. (41) provides a set of diagonal two-particle $`S`$-matrix amplitudes that satisfy unitarity, crossing symmetry, and the bootstrap equations . However, they are Hermitian analytic and not Real analytic.

To sum up, our main point was to recall that Real analyticity is not essential in $`S`$-matrix theory; it is just a special case of a general property called Hermitian analyticity. Then, we have derived the constraints implied by Hermitian analyticity for the two-particle scattering amplitudes in two-dimensional factorised $`S`$-matrix theories, which are summarised by eq. (21). These constraints are consistent with the bootstrap equations and agree with the properties of the scattering amplitudes of several non-parity invariant theories whose $`S`$-matrix is diagonal already discussed in the literature . In addition, they also manifest that Real analyticity is recovered only for those amplitudes which are time-reversal invariant.

An important consequence of Hermitian analyticity is that it ensures the equivalence between the genuine unitarity of the $`S`$-matrix and the condition of ‘unitarity’ satisfied by the $`S`$-matrices derived from the quantum group construction of refs. . In this construction, the $`S`$-matrix is a quantum group $`R`$-matrix times a Real analytic scalar factor, and the relationship between the analytic continuations of the different amplitudes is dictated by the properties of the $`R`$-matrix. As an example, using the results of Gandenberger in , one can check that all the $`S`$-matrix amplitudes corresponding to the affine Toda field theory associated with $`a_2^{(1)}`$ satisfy <sup>3</sup><sup>3</sup>3I thank Gustav Delius for providing a proof that this relationship will hold for other affine Toda theories. When the quantum parameter $`q`$ is a pure phase, it follows from the fact that complex conjugation replaces $`q`$ by $`q^1`$, which exchanges the two sides in the quantum coproduct, together with the time-reversal invariance of the $`R`$-matrices and the Real analyticity of the scalar factor (see ).

$$S_{AB}^{}{}_{ij}{}^{kl}(\theta )=\left[S_{AB}^{}{}_{kl}{}^{ij}(\theta ^{})\right]^{}$$
(42)   
instead of (21). This shows that the amplitudes with a trivial matrix structure will be Real analytic, but Hermitian analyticity will not be satisfied unless the $`S`$-matrix exhibits additional symmetry properties, like parity invariance if (42) holds. All this results in the non-unitarity of these $`S`$-matrices reported in .

In the same article, Takács and Watts pointed out the possibility that some of these $`S`$-matrices could be conjugate to unitary matrices by means of a rapidity-dependent change of basis of the one-particle states. However, they found rather difficult to check it directly and proposed to investigate instead if the two- and three-particle $`S`$-matrices have pure phase eigenvalues, which is a necessary condition. Following this method, they have singled out a number of $`S`$-matrix theories where such changes of basis should exist . Concerning this, we have obtained a sufficient condition for the existence of a basis where Hermitian analyticity is satisfied; we call it ‘weak Hermitian analyticity’, and it is summarized by eqs. (33) and (34). It would be interesting to use weak Hermitian analyticity to characterise those $`S`$-matrix theories that become unitarity in some particular basis and, in any case, to investigate the physical meaning of such basis.

Acknowledgments

I wish to thank D. Olive for drawing my attention to the role of Hermitian analyticity in $`S`$-matrix theory during the Durham’98 TMR Conference. I would also like to thank J. Sánchez Guillén and J.M. Sánchez de Santos for valuable discussions, and to G. Delius and G. Watts for their clarifying comments about affine Toda theories and the quantum group approach to factorised $`S`$-matrices. This research is supported partially by CICYT (AEN96-1673), DGICYT (PB96-0960), and the EC Commission via a TMR Grant (FMRX-CT96-0012).