Topologically non--trivial chiral transformations and their representations in a finite model space

The role of chiral transformations in effective theories modeling Quantum Chromo Dynamics is reviewed. In the context of the Nambu--Jona--Lasinio model the hidden gauge and massive Yang--Mills approaches to vector mesons are demonstrated to be linked by a special chiral transformation which removes the chiral field from the scalar--pseudoscalar sector. The role of this transformation in the presence of a topologically non--trivial chiral field is illuminated. The fermion determinant for such a field configuration is evaluated by summing the discretized eigenvalues of the Dirac Hamiltonian. This discretization is accomplished by demanding certain boundary conditions on the quark fields leaving a finite model space. The properties of two sets of boundary conditions are compared. When the topologically non-trivial chiral transformation is applied to the meson fields the associated transformation of the boundary conditions is shown to be indispensable. A constructive procedure for transforming the boundary conditions is developed.