A solvable four-dimensional model with gauge symmetry

Abstract

Recently, interest has been focused on quantum field theories in which a Lagrange multiplier field occurs in the classical Lagrangian. This has the effect of restricting the sum over classical paths in the path integral to solutions of the classical field equation. Examples of such theories are the dynamical theory of two-dimensional gravity proposed by Jackiw and Teitelboim, the Chern–Simons formulation of gravity in 2 + 1 dimensions by Witten, and the path-integral formulation of classical systems by Gozzi. We examine, in this paper, a gauge theory in which a vector field [Formula: see text] acts as a Lagrange multiplier in the classical Lagrangian, ensuring that a vector field [Formula: see text] satisfies the Yang–Mills equations of motion. Quantization can be carried out either using BRST quantization or by using the Faddeev–Popov procedure. Either by explicitly integrating over the field [Formula: see text] and its associated ghost fields, or by directly examining the Feynman perturbation theory, it can be established that all diagrams beyond one-loop order vanish, allowing one to compute the one-particle irreducible generating functional exactly. Background-field quantization is introduced to simplify the renormalization program. The β function is computed in closed form. In an appendix we show how our interaction can be derived from Yang–Mills theory based on a group G or by considering the Yang–Mills theory for a group IG. This can be extended to deal with four interacting gauge fields. A second appendix deals with a scalar model that superficially resembles our vector model.