Fermion decoupling and the axial anomaly on the lattice

By an explicit calculation of the continuum limit of the triangle graph amplitude in lattice QED we show that in the axial Ward identity the ABJ anomaly exactly cancels the pseudoscalar density term in the limit of infinite fermion mass $m$. The result, a reflection of decoupling of the heavy fermion, provides a convenient framework for computing the flavor-singlet or U(1) axial anomaly in non-Abelian gauge theories on lattice. Our calculations on the lattice are performed using Wilson fermions but the results are general.