Batalin-Vilkovisky Research Articles

Topological Gravity on (D,N)-Shift Superspace Formulation

We reassess the subject of topological gravity by following the shift supersymmetry formalism. The gauge-fixing of the theory goes under the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) prescription based on a diagram that contains both ghost and antighost superfields, associated with the supervielbein and the super-Lorentz connection. We extend the formulation of the topological gravity action to an arbitrary number of dimensions of the shift superspace by adopting a formulation based on the gauge-fixing for BF-type models.

Consistent deformations of free massive field theories in the Stueckelberg formulation

Cohomological techniques within the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) extension of the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) formalism have proved invaluable for classifying consistent deformations of gauge theories. In this work we investigate the application of this idea to massive field theories in the Stueckelberg formulation. Starting with a collection of free massive vectors, we show that the cohomological method reproduces the cubic and quartic vertices of massive Yang-Mills theory. In the same way, taking a Fierz-Pauli graviton on a maximally symmetric space as the starting point, we are able to recover the consistent cubic vertices of nonlinear massive gravity. The formalism further sheds light on the characterization of Stueckelberg gauge theories, by demonstrating for instance that the gauge algebra of such models is necessarily Abelian and that they admit a Born-Infeld-like formulation in which the action is simply a combination of the gauge-invariant structures of the free theory.

A minimalistic pure spinor sigma-model in AdS

The b-ghost of the pure spinor formalism in a general curved background is not holomorphic. For such theories, the construction of the string measure requires the knowledge of the action of diffeomorphisms on the BV phase space. We construct such an action for the pure spinor sigma-model in AdS5 × S5. From the point of view of the BV formalism, this sigma-model belongs to the class of theories where the expansion of the Master Action in antifields terminates at the quadratic order. We show that it can be reduced to a simpler degenerate sigma-model, preserving the AdS symmetries. We construct the action of the algebra of worldsheet vector fields on the BV phase space of this minimalistic sigma-model, and explain how to lift it to the original model.

Covariance in the Batalin–Vilkovisky formalism and the Maurer–Cartan equation for curved Lie algebras

We express covariance of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism in classical mechanics by means of the Maurer-Cartan equation in a curved Lie superalgebra, defined using the formal variational calculus and Sullivan's Thom-Whitney construction. We use this framework to construct a Batalin-Vilkovisky canonical transformation identifying the Batalin-Vilkovisky formulation of the spinning particle with an AKSZ field theory.

A study of 3-form gauge theories in the Lorentz violating background

We study the Lorentz symmetry breaking of the 3-form gauge theory down to its sub-group. A 3-form gauge theory is studied in such a Lorentz violating background and these symmetry violation effects will affect the aspects of such a gauge theory. Also, we study the gaugeon formalism and FFBRST of 3-form theory in such a background. It is seen that the generating functional gets modified. With this, we obtain a connection between covariant and noncovariant gauges of such a gauge theory. Furthermore, we study the Batalin–Vilkovisky (BV) formulation of such a gauge theory in such a Lorentz violating background.

On the BV formalism of open superstring field theory in the large Hilbert space

We construct several BV master actions for open superstring field theory in the large Hilbert space. First, we show that a naive use of the conventional BV approach breaks down at the third order of the antifield number expansion, although it enables us to define a simple “string antibracket” taking the Darboux form as spacetime antibrackets. This fact implies that in the large Hilbert space, “string fields-antifields” should be reassembled to obtain master actions in a simple manner. We determine the assembly of the string anti-fields on the basis of Berkovits’ constrained BV approach, and give solutions to the master equation defined by Dirac antibrackets on the constrained string field-antifield space. It is expected that partial gauge-fixing enables us to relate superstring field theories based on the large and small Hilbert spaces directly: reassembling string fields-antifields is rather natural from this point of view. Finally, inspired by these results, we revisit the conventional BV approach and construct a BV master action based on the minimal set of string fields-antifields.

Koszul–Tate resolutions as cofibrant replacements of algebras over differential operators

Homotopical geometry over differential operators is a convenient setting for a coordinate-free investigation of nonlinear partial differential equations modulo symmetries. One of the first issues one meets in the functor of points approach to homotopical $\mathcal{D}$-geometry, is the question of a model structure on the category $\tt DGAlg(\mathcal{D})$ of differential non-negatively graded $\mathcal{O}$-quasi-coherent sheaves of commutative algebras over the sheaf $\mathcal{D}$ of differential operators of an appropriate underlying variety $(X,\mathcal{O})$. We define a cofibrantly generated model structure on $\tt DGAlg(\mathcal{D})$ via the definition of its weak equivalences and its fibrations, characterize the class of cofibrations, and build an explicit functorial `cofibration - trivial fibration' factorization. We then use the latter to get a functorial model categorical Koszul-Tate resolution for $\mathcal{D}$-algebraic `on-shell function' algebras (which contains the classical Koszul-Tate resolution). The paper is also the starting point for a homotopical $\mathcal{D}$-geometric Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism.

Exact renormalization group in Batalin-Vilkovisky theory

In this paper, inspired by the Costello’s seminal work [11], we present a general formulation of exact renormalization group (RG) within the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) quantization scheme. In the spirit of effective field theory, the BV bracket and Laplacian structure as well as the BV effective action (EA) depend on an effective energy scale. The BV EA at a certain scale satisfies the BV quantum master equation at that scale. The RG flow of the EA is implemented by BV canonical maps intertwining the BV structures at different scales. Infinitesimally, this generates the BV exact renormalization group equation (RGE). We show that BV RG theory can be extended by augmenting the scale parameter space R to its shifted tangent bundle T [1]ℝ. The extra odd direction in scale space allows for a BV RG supersymmetry that constrains the structure of the BV RGE bringing it to Polchinski’s form [6]. We investigate the implications of BV RG supersymmetry in perturbation theory. Finally, we illustrate our findings by constructing free models of BV RG flow and EA exhibiting RG supersymmetry in the degree −1 symplectic framework and studying the perturbation theory thereof. We find in particular that the odd partner of effective action describes perturbatively the deviation of the interacting RG flow from its free counterpart.

Integration over families of Lagrangian submanifolds in BV formalism

Gauge fixing is interpreted in BV formalism as a choice of Lagrangian submanifold in an odd symplectic manifold (the BV phase space). A natural construction defines an integration procedure on families of Lagrangian submanifolds. In string perturbation theory, the moduli space integrals of higher genus amplitudes can be interpreted in this way. We discuss the role of gauge symmetries in this construction. We derive the conditions which should be imposed on gauge symmetries for the consistency of our integration procedure. We explain how these conditions behave under the deformations of the worldsheet theory. In particular, we show that integrated vertex operator is actually an inhomogeneous differential form on the space of Lagrangian submanifolds.

DIFFERENTIAL GERSTENHABER–BATALIN–VILKOVISKY ALGEBRAS FOR CALABI–YAU HYPERSURFACE COMPLEMENTS

Barannikov and Kontsevich [Frobenius manifolds and formality of Lie algebras of polyvector fields. Int. Math. Res. Not. IMRN1998(4) (1998), 201–215], constructed a DGBV (differential Gerstenhaber–Batalin–Vilkovisky) algebra .

Chern–Simons theory in aether superspace

In this paper, we will analyze the breaking of Lorentz symmetry using aether superspace. We will analyze the aether deformation of a Chern–Simons theory using this deformed superspace. As this theory, will have gauge symmetry, we will add gauge and ghost terms to the original action. We will analyze the nonlinear BRST symmetry for this theory. We also analyze the quantum BRST symmetry in BV formalism.

Anomaly on Superspace of Time Series Data

AbstractWe apply the G-theory and anomaly of ghost and antighost fields in the theory of supersymmetry to study a superspace over time series data for the detection of hidden general supply and demand equilibrium in the financial market. We provide proof of the existence of a general equilibrium point over 14 extradimensions of the new G-theory compared with the M-theory of the 11 dimensions model of Edward Witten. We found that the process of coupling between nonequilibrium and equilibrium spinor fields of expectation ghost fields in the superspace of time series data induces an infinitely long exact sequence of cohomology from a short exact sequence of moduli state space model. If we assume that the financial market is separated into two topological spaces of supply and demand as the D-brane and anti-D-brane model, then we can use a cohomology group to compute the stability of the market as a stable point of the general equilibrium of the interaction between D-branes of the market. We obtain the result that the general equilibrium will exist if and only if the 14thBatalin–Vilkovisky cohomology group with the negative dimensions underlying 14 major hidden factors influencing the market is zero.

Asymptotic freedom in the BV formalism

We define the β-function of a perturbative quantum field theory in the mathematical framework introduced by Costello – combining perturbative renormalization and the BV formalism – as the cohomology class of a certain functional measuring scale dependence of the effective interaction. We show that the one-loop β-function is a well-defined element of the obstruction–deformation complex for translation-invariant and classically scale-invariant theories, and furthermore that it is locally constant as a function on the space of classical interactions and computable as a rescaling anomaly, or as the logarithmic one-loop counterterm. We compute the one-loop β-function in first-order Yang–Mills theory, recovering the famous asymptotic freedom for Yang–Mills in a mathematical context.

Batalin–Vilkovisky quantization and the algebraic index

Into a geometric setting, we import the physical interpretation of index theorems via semi-classical analysis in topological quantum field theory. We develop a direct relationship between Fedosov's deformation quantization of a symplectic manifold X and the Batalin–Vilkovisky (BV) quantization of a one-dimensional sigma model with target X. This model is a quantum field theory of AKSZ type and is quantized rigorously using Costello's homotopic theory of effective renormalization. We show that Fedosov's Abelian connections on the Weyl bundle produce solutions to the effective quantum master equation. Moreover, BV integration produces a natural trace map on the deformation quantized algebra. This formulation allows us to exploit a (rigorous) localization argument in quantum field theory to deduce the algebraic index theorem via semi-classical analysis, i.e., one-loop Feynman diagram computations.

Families of gauge conditions in BV formalism

In BV formalism we can consider a Lagrangian submanifold as a gauge condition. Starting with the BV action functional we construct a closed form on the space of Lagrangian submanifolds. If the action functional is invariant with respect to some group H and Λ is an H-invariant family of Lagrangian submanifold then under certain conditions we construct a form on Λ that descends to a closed form on Λ/H. Integrating the latter form over a cycle in Λ/H we obtain numbers that can have interesting physical meaning. We show that one can get string amplitudes this way. Applying this construction to topological quantum field theories one obtains topological invariants.

BV Quantization of the Rozansky–Witten Model

We investigate the perturbative aspects of Rozansky-Witten's 3d $\sigma$-model using Costello's approach to the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) formalism. We show that the BV quantization (in Costello's sense) of the model, which produces a perturbative quantum field theory, can be obtained via the configuration space method of regularization due to Kontsevich and Axelrod-Singer. We also study the factorization algebra structure for quantum observables following Costello-Gwilliam. In particular, we show that the cohomology of local quantum observables on a genus $g$ handle body is given by $H^*(X,(\wedge^*T_X)^{\otimes g})$ (where $X$ is the target manifold), and prove that the partition function reproduces the Rozansky-Witten invariants.

Noncommutative geometry and the BV formalism: Application to a matrix model

We analyze a U(2)-matrix model derived from a finite spectral triple. By applying the BV formalism, we find a general solution to the classical master equation. To describe the BV formalism in the context of noncommutative geometry, we define two finite spectral triples: the BV spectral triple and the BV auxiliary spectral triple. These are constructed from the gauge fields, ghost fields and anti-fields that enter the BV construction. We show that their fermionic actions add up precisely to the BV action. This approach allows for a geometric description of the ghost fields and their properties in terms of the BV spectral triple.

Algebraic formulation of higher gauge theory

In this paper, we present a purely algebraic formulation of higher gauge theory and gauged sigma models based on the abstract theory of graded commutative algebras and their morphisms. The formulation incorporates naturally Becchi - Rouet -Stora - Tyutin (BRST) symmetry and is also suitable for Alexandrov - Kontsevich - Schwartz-Zaboronsky (AKSZ) type constructions. It is also shown that for a full-fledged Batalin-Vilkovisky formulation including ghost degrees of freedom, higher gauge and gauged sigma model fields must be viewed as internal smooth functions on the shifted tangent bundle of a space-time manifold valued in a shifted L∞-algebroid encoding symmetry. The relationship to other formulations where the L∞-algebroid arises from a higher Lie groupoid by Lie differentiation is highlighted.

A Chain Level Batalin–Vilkovisky Structure in String Topology Via de Rham Chains

The aim of this paper is to define a chain level refinement of the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) algebra structure on the homology of the free loop space of a closed, oriented $C^\infty$-manifold. For this purpose, we define a (nonsymmetric) cyclic dg operad which consists of Rham of free loops with marked points. A notion of de Rham chains, which is a certain hybrid of the notions of singular chains and differential forms, is a key ingredient in our construction. Combined with a generalization of cyclic Deligne's conjecture, this dg operad produces a chain model of the free loop space which admits an action of a chain model of the framed little disks operad, recovering the string topology BV algebra structure on the homology level.

Lorentz violating p-form gauge theories in superspace

Very special relativity (VSR) keeps the main features of special relativity but breaks rotational invariance due to an intrinsic preferred direction. We study the VSR-modified extended BRST and anti-BRST symmetry of the Batalin–Vilkovisky (BV) actions corresponding to the p=1,2,3-form gauge theories. Within the VSR framework, we discuss the extended BRST invariant and extended BRST and anti-BRST invariant superspace formulations for these BV actions. Here we observe that the VSR-modified extended BRST invariant BV actions corresponding to the p=1,2,3-form gauge theories can be written in a manifestly covariant manner in a superspace with one Grassmann coordinate. Moreover, two Grassmann coordinates are required to describe the VSR-modified extended BRST and extended anti-BRST invariant BV actions in a superspace. These results are consistent with the Lorentz-invariant (special relativity) formulation.