CHIRAL FERMIONS ON THE LATTICE

The overlap approach to chiral gauge theories on arbitrary D-dimension al lattices is studied, The doubling problem and its relation to chira l anomalies for D = 2 and 4 is examined. In each case it is shown that the doublers can be eliminated and the well-known perturbative result s for chiral anomalies can be recovered. We also consider the multi-fl avour case and give the general criteria for the construction of anoma ly free chiral gauge theories on arbitrary lattices, We calculate the second-order terms in a continuum approximation to the overlap formula in D dimensions and show that they coincide with the bilinear part of the effective action of D-dimensional Weyl fermions coupled to a back ground gauge field. Finally, using the same formalism we reproduce the correct Lorentz, diffeomorphism and gauge anomalies in the coupling o f a Weyl fermion to 2-dimensional gravitational and Maxwell fields.