Discrete symmetries and chirality invariance in quantum field dynamics

The aim of the present paper is to discuss systematically the discrete symmetry operations on a quantized field in interaction; and to base the introduction of the new quantum number "chirality" for spinor fields on these symmetry properties. In the course of this investigation, several general results on the group of symmetry operations are proved and relation between certain sets of discrete symmetry operations and the spinor representation of the rotation group in 3 and 4 dimensions is established. An attempt has been made to present clearly the connection between additive and multiplicative quantum numbers, gauge transformations, unitary transformations and invariance laws. The chirality invariance of spinor fields in interaction is discussed in some detail. The emphasis throughout is on the systematic development rather than on details of application. The paper is divided into two parts, the first dealing with the general theory of discrete symmetry operations and the second concerned with chirality invariance for spinor fields