Yang--Baxter symmetry in integrable models: new light from the Bethe Ansatz solution

We show how any integrable 2D QFT enjoys the existence of infinitely many non--abelian {\it conserved} charges satisfying a Yang--Baxter symmetry algebra. These charges are generated by quantum monodromy operators and provide a representation of $q-$deformed affine Lie algebras. We review and generalize the work of de Vega, Eichenherr and Maillet on the bootstrap construction of the quantum monodromy operators to the sine--Gordon (or massive Thirring) model, where such operators do not possess a classical analogue. Within the light--cone approach to the mT model, we explicitly compute the eigenvalues of the six--vertex alternating transfer matrix $\tau(\l)$ on a generic physical state, through algebraic Bethe ansatz. In the thermodynamic limit $\tau(\l)$ turns out to be a two--valued periodic function. One determination generates the local abelian charges, including energy and momentum, while the other yields the abelian subalgebra of the (non--local) YB algebra. In particular, the bootstrap results coincide with the ratio between the two determinations of the lattice transfer matrix.