Operator quantization of non-abelian gauge theories in a completely fixed axial gauge

Abstract

A consistent quantization of chromodynamics in a completely fixed axial gauge is carried out by using the Dirac bracket quantization procedure. The main results are: The translation of Dirac brackets into equal-time commutators is possible, without ambiguities, because of the absence of ordering problems. All equal-time commutators are compatible with constraints and gauge conditions holding as strong operator relations. All equal-time commutators are compatible with chromoelectric, chromomagnetic, and fermionic fields vanishing at spatial infinity. The colored gauge potentials A 0, a , A 1, a , and A 2, a are seen to develop a physically significant, although pure gauge, behavior at x 3 = ± ∞, as required by the presence of a nontrivial topological content. Poincaré invariance is satisfied without introducing in the Hamiltonian “extra” quantum mechanical potentials. The determinant of the Faddeev-Popov matrix does not depend upon the field variables.