It is shown that the trace anomaly is also identified with the Jacobian factor for the functional measure under the conformal transformation in the path-integral formalism. The path-integral formulation of anomalous Ward-Takahashi identities is then translated into a simple algebraic characterization of chiral and conformal anomalies. This exemplifies some of the common features shared by the topological and nontopological anomalies.

• Received 14 March 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.44.1733