Faddeev-Popov Procedure Research Articles

Covariant quantisation of tensor multiplet models

The Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism is applied to quantise the N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 1 supersymmetric generalisation of the Freedman-Townsend (FT) model, which was proposed by Lindström and Roček in 1983 in Minkowski superspace and is lifted to a supergravity background in this paper. This super FT theory describes a non-Abelian tensor multiplet and is known to be classically equivalent to a supersymmetric nonlinear sigma model. Using path integral considerations, we demonstrate that this equivalence holds at the quantum level in the sense that the quantum supercurrents in the two theories coincide. A modified Faddeev-Popov procedure is employed to quantise models for the N\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{N} $$\\end{document} = 2 tensor multiplet in harmonic superspace. The obtained results agree with those derived by applying the Batalin-Vilkovisky scheme within the harmonic superspace setting.

Closed string vertex operators with various ghost number

We construct closed string vertex operators with various ghost numbers in addition to the conventional ones, using the Faddeev-Popov procedure for the gauge fixing of the conformal Killing group, from matter primary fields. We find that these operators give solutions to the descent equations in the framework of the BRST formalism. Similarly, we also construct solutions to the descent equations for the dilaton vertex operator with the Lorentz covariant form. Using the unintegrated vertex operator of the dilaton with the ghost number three, we obtain the correct result of the tadpole amplitude on the disk, including a non-zero contribution from a BRST exact term which comes from a conformal transformation.

Holography of information in de Sitter space

We study the natural norm on the space of solutions to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation in an asymptotically de Sitter spacetime. We propose that the norm is obtained by integrating the squared wavefunctional over field configurations and dividing by the volume of the diff-and-Weyl group. We impose appropriate gauge conditions to fix the diff- and-Weyl redundancy and obtain a finite expression for the norm using the Faddeev-Popov procedure. This leads to a ghost action that has zero modes corresponding to a residual conformal subgroup of the diff-and-Weyl group. By keeping track of these zero modes, we show that Higuchi’s norm for group-averaged states emerges from our prescription in the nongravitational limit. We apply our formalism to cosmological correlators and propose that they should be understood as gauge-fixed observables. We identify the symmetries of these observables. In a nongravitational theory, it is necessary to specify such correlators everywhere on a Cauchy slice to identify a state in the Hilbert space. In a theory of quantum gravity, we demonstrate a version of the principle of holography of information: cosmological correlators in an arbitrarily small region suffice to completely specify the state.

Beyond semiclassical time: dynamics in quantum cosmology

We review two approaches to the definition of the Hilbert space and evolution in mechanical theories with local time-reparametrization invariance, which are often used as toy models of quantum gravity. The first approach is based on the definition of invariant relational observables, whereas the second formalism consists of a perturbative construction of the Hilbert space and a weak-coupling expansion of the Hamiltonian constraint, which is frequently performed as part of the Born-Oppenheimer treatment in quantum cosmology. We discuss in which sense both approaches exhibit an inner product that is gauge-fixed via an operator version of the usual Faddeev-Popov procedure, and, in the second approach, how the unitarity of the effective Schrödinger evolution is established perturbatively. We note that a conditional probability interpretation of the physical states is possible, so that both formalisms are examples of quantum mechanics with a relational dynamics.

Gauging Fractons and Linearized Gravity

We consider the covariant gauge field theory of fractons, which describes a new type of quasiparticles exhibiting novel and non-trivial properties. In particular, we focus on the field theoretical peculiarities which characterize this theory, starting from the fact that, if we accept the paradigm that quantum field theories are defined by their symmetries, fractons unavoidably come together with linearized gravity. The standard Faddeev–Popov procedure to gauge fix the theory leads to a scalar gauge condition, which has two important drawbacks: it is frozen in the Landau gauge and linearized gravity cannot be obtained as a limit. In this paper, we adopt a tensorially alternative gauge fixing, which avoids both problems. In particular, this allows to show that important physical features, such as counting of the degrees of freedom, do not depend on a particular gauge choice, as expected. Moreover, the resulting gauge fixed theory contains both fractons and linearized gravity as a limit, differently from the standard scalar choice.

A note on harmonic gauge(s) in massive gravity

We consider the harmonic gauge condition in linearized gravity, seen as a gauge theory for a symmetric tensor field. Once the harmonic gauge condition is implemented, as customary, according to the Faddeev-Popov procedure, the gauge fixed action still depends on one gauge parameter. Consequently, the harmonic gauge appears to be a class of conditions, rather than a particular one. This allows to give a physical motivation for the covariant harmonic gauge(s), which emerges when the gravitational perturbation is given a mass term. In fact, for a particular choice of harmonic gauge, we find a theory of linearized massive gravity displaying five degrees of freedom, as it should, and which is not affected by the vDVZ discontinuity, differently from what happens in the standard Fierz-Pauli theory.

Super heat kernel and one-loop divergence of super Yang–Mills theory in conformal supergravity

Abstract We consider super Yang–Mills (SYM) theory in $N=1$ conformal supergravity. Using the background field method and the Faddeev–Popov procedure, the quantized action of the theory is presented. Its one-loop effective action is studied using the heat kernel method. We shall develop a non-iterative scheme, generalizing the non-supersymmetric case, to obtain the super heat kernel coefficients. In particular, the first three coefficients, which govern the one-loop divergence, will be calculated. We shall also demonstrate how to schematically derive the higher-order coefficients. The method presented here can be readily applied to various quantum theories. We shall, as an application, derive the full one-loop divergence of SYM in conformal supergravity.

Multiple gauge fixing conditions

We consider how more than one gauge fixing condition can be accommodated within the Feynman path integral both by extending the Faddeev–Popov procedure and the Batalin–Vilkovisky approach. The first-order Einstein–Hilbert action in 1 + 1 dimensions and the massless spin-3/2 action are considered.

Quantum electrodynamics of inhomogeneous anisotropic media

In this work we calculate the closed time path generating functional for the electromagnetic (EM) field interacting with inhomogeneous anisotropic matter. For this purpose, we first find a general expression for the electromagnetic field’s influence action from the interaction of the field with a composite environment consisting in the quantum polarization degrees of freedom in each point of space, at arbitrary temperatures, connected to thermal baths. Then we evaluate the generating functional for the gauge field, in the temporal gauge, by implementing the Faddeev–Popov procedure. Finally, through the point-splitting technique, we calculate closed expressions for the energy, the Poynting vector, and the Maxwell tensor in terms of the Hadamard propagator. We show that all the quantities have contributions from the field’s initial conditions and also from the matter degrees of freedom. Throughout the whole work we discuss how the gauge invariance must be treated in the formalism when the EM-field is interacting with inhomogeneous anisotropic matter. We study the electrodynamics in the temporal gauge, obtaining the EM-field’s equation and a residual condition. Finally we analyze the case of the EM-field in bulk material and also discuss several general implications of our results in relation with the Casimir physics in a non-equilibrium scenario.

Enumerating Gribov copies on the lattice

In the modern formulation of lattice gauge fixing, the gauge-fixing condition is written in terms of the minima or stationary points (collectively called solutions) of a gauge-fixing functional. Due to the non-linearity of this functional, it usually has many solutions, called Gribov copies. The dependence of the number of Gribov copies, n[U], on the different gauge orbits plays an important role in constructing the Faddeev–Popov procedure and hence in realising the BRST symmetry on the lattice. Here, we initiate a study of counting n[U] for different orbits using three complimentary methods: (1) analytical results in lower dimensions, and some lower bounds on n[U] in higher dimensions, (2) the numerical polynomial homotopy continuation method, which numerically finds all Gribov copies for a given orbit for small lattices, and (3) numerical minimisation (“brute force”), which finds many distinct Gribov copies, but not necessarily all. Because n for the coset SU(Nc)/U(1) of an SU(Nc) theory is orbit independent, we concentrate on the residual compact U(1) case in this article, and establish that n is orbit dependent for the minimal lattice Landau gauge and orbit independent for the absolute lattice Landau gauge. We also observe that, contrary to a previous claim, n is not exponentially suppressed for the recently proposed stereographic lattice Landau gauge compared to the naive gauge in more than one dimension.

Lorentz violation and the Higgs mechanism

We consider scalar quantum electrodynamics in the Higgs phase and in the presence of Lorentz violation. Spontaneous breaking of the gauge symmetry gives rise to Lorentz-violating gauge field mass terms. These may cause the longitudinal mode of the gauge field to propagate superluminally. The theory may be quantized by the Faddeev-Popov procedure, although the Lagrangian for the ghost fields also needs to be Lorentz violating.

NONTRIVIAL GHOSTS AND SECOND-CLASS CONSTRAINTS

In a model in which a vector gauge field [Formula: see text] is coupled to an antisymmetric tensor field [Formula: see text] possessing a pseudoscalar mass, it has been shown that all physical degrees of freedom reside in the vector field. Upon quantizing this model using the Faddeev–Popov procedure, explicit calculation of the two-point functions 〈ϕϕ〉 and 〈Wϕ〉 at one-loop order seems to have yielded the puzzling result that the effective action generated by radiative effects has more physical degrees of freedom than the original classical action. In this paper we point out that this is not in fact a real effect, but rather appears to be a consequence of having ignored a "ghost" field arising from the contribution to the measure in the path integral arising from the presence of nontrivial second-class constraints. These ghost fields couple to the fields [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], which makes them distinct from other models involving ghosts arising from second-class constraints (such as massive Yang–Mills (YM) models) that have been considered, as in these other models such ghosts decouple. As an alternative to dealing with second-class constraints, we consider introducing a "Stueckelberg field" to eliminate second-class constraints in favor of first-class constraints and examine if it is possible to then use the Faddeev–Popov quantization procedure. In the Proca model, introduction of the Stueckelberg vector is equivalent to the Batalin–Fradkin–Tyutin (BFT) approach to converting second-class constraints to being first-class through the introduction of new variables. However, introduction of a Stueckelberg vector is not equivalent to the BFT approach for the vector–tensor model. In an appendix, the BFT procedure is applied to the pure tensor model and a novel gauge invariance is found. In addition, we also consider extending the Hamiltonian so that half of the second-class constraints become first-class and the other half become associated gauge conditions. We also find for this tensor-vector theory that when converting the phase space path integral to the configuration space path integral, a nontrivial contribution to the measure arises that is not manifestly covariant and which is not simply due to the presence of second-class constraints.

Equivariant symplectic geometry of gauge fixing in Yang–Mills theory

The Faddeev–Popov gauge fixing in Yang–Mills theory is interpreted as equivariant localization. It is shown that the Faddeev–Popov procedure amounts to a construction of a symplectic manifold with a Hamiltonian group action. The BRST cohomology is shown to be equivalent to the equivariant cohomology based on this symplectic manifold with Hamiltonian group action. The ghost operator is interpreted as a (pre)symplectic form and the gauge condition as the moment map corresponding to the Hamiltonian group action. This results in the identification of the gauge fixing action as a closed equivariant form, the sum of an equivariant symplectic form, and a certain closed equivariant 4-form, which ensures convergence. An almost complex structure compatible with the symplectic form is constructed. The equivariant localization principle is used to localize the path integrals onto the gauge slice. The Gribov problem is also discussed in the context of equivariant localization principle. As a simple illustration of the methods developed in the paper, the partition function of N=2 supersymmetric quantum mechanics is calculated by equivariant localization.

General covariant gauge fixing for massless spin-two fields

The most general covariant gauge fixing Lagrangian is considered for a spin-two gauge theory in the context of the Faddeev-Popov procedure. In general, five parameters characterize this gauge fixing. Certain limiting values for these parameters give rise to a spin-two propagator that is either traceless or transverse, but for no values of these parameters is this propagator simultaneously traceless and transverse. Having a traceless-transverse propagator ensures that only the physical degrees of freedom associated with the tensor field propagate, and hence it is analogous to the Landau gauge in electrodynamics. To obtain such a traceless-transverse propagator, a gauge fixing Lagrangian which is not quadratic must be employed; this sort of gauge fixing Lagrangian is not encountered in the usual Faddeev-Popov procedure. It is shown that when this nonquadratic gauge fixing Lagrangian is used, two fermionic and one bosonic ghosts arise. As a simple application we discuss the energy-momentum tensor of the gravitational field at finite temperature.

PERTURBATIVELY DEFINED EFFECTIVE CLASSICAL POTENTIAL IN CURVED SPACE

The partition function of a quantum statistical system in flat space can always be written as an integral over a classical Boltzmann factor exp [-βV eff cl (x0)], where V eff cl (x0) is the so-called effective classical potential containing the effects of all quantum fluctuations. The variable of integration is the temporal path average [Formula: see text]. We show how to generalize this concept to paths qμ(τ) in curved space with metric gμν(q), and calculate perturbatively the high-temperature expansion of V eff cl (q0). The requirement of independence under coordinate transformations qμ(τ)→ q′μ(τ) introduces subtleties in the definition and treatment of the path average [Formula: see text], and covariance is achieved only with the help of a suitable Faddeev–Popov procedure.

Nonperturbative QCD, Gauge-Fixing, Gribov Copies and the Lattice

Perturbative QCD uses the Faddeev-Popov gauge-fixing procedure, which leads to ghosts and the local BRST invariance of the gauge-fixed perturbative QCD action. In the asymptotic regime, where perturbative QCD is relevant, Gribov copies can be neglected. In the nonperturbative regime, one must adopt either a nonlocal Gribov-copy free gauge (e.g., Laplacian gauge) or attempt to maintain local BRST invariance at the expense of admitting Gribov copies. These issues are explored. In addition, we discuss the relationship between recent Dyson-Schwinger based model calculations of the infrared behavior of QCD Green's functions and the lattice calculation of these quantities.

Towards a nonperturbative path integral in gauge theories

We propose a modification of the Faddeev–Popov procedure to construct a path integral representation for the transition amplitude and the partition function for gauge theories whose orbit space has a non-Euclidean geometry. Our approach is based on the Kato–Trotter product formula modified appropriately to incorporate the gauge invariance condition, and thereby equivalence to the Dirac operator formalism is guaranteed by construction. The modified path integral provides a solution to the Gribov obstruction as well as to the operator ordering problem when the orbit space has curvature. A few explicit examples are given to illustrate new features of the formalism developed. The method is applied to the Kogut–Susskind lattice gauge theory to develop a nonperturbative functional integral for a quantum Yang–Mills theory. Feynman's conjecture about a relation between the mass gap and the orbit space geometry in gluodynamics is discussed in the framework of the modified path integral.

Stochastic Tools on Hilbert Manifolds: Interplay with Geometry and Physics

Projections via the action of a Hilbert Lie group of a class of semi-martingales (given by Ito fields) defined on Hilbert manifolds are investigated. Using Ito calculus, we show that the drift term arising in the projected process can be interpreted in terms of a regularised trace of the second fundamental form of the orbits. For group actions with finite dimensional orbit space, we introduce a notion of strongly harmonic functions resp. regularised Brownian motion, which project onto harmonic functions resp. onto Brownian motion, whenever the orbits are minimal (in a regularised sense). We relate this projection procedure of semi-martingales to the Faddeev-Popov procedure in gauge field theory.

BRST-invariant approach to quantum mechanical tunneling

A new approach with BRST invariance is suggested to cure the degeneracy problem of ill defined path integrals in the path-integral calculation of quantum mechanical tunneling effects in which the problem arises due to the occurrence of zero modes. The Faddeev-Popov procedure is avoided and the integral over the zero mode is transformed in a systematic way into a well defined integral over instanton positions. No special procedure has to be adopted as in the Faddeev-Popov method in calculating the Jacobian of the transformation. The quantum mechanical tunneling for the sine-Gordon potential is used as a test of the method and the width of the lowest energy band is obtained in exact agreement with that of WKB calculations.

Factorisation of semi-martingales on principal fibre bundles and the faddeev-popov procedure in theories

The factorisation of semi-martingales on finite dimensional principal fibre bundles is carried out and the specific cases of martingales diffusions and Brownian motion are considered. The factorisation of a class of diffusions including a regularised Brownian motion is investigated for fibre bundles with an infinite dimensional Hilbert manifold as total space. A relationship is set up between factorisation of stochastic processes and the Faddeev-Popov procedure.