Axiomatic approach to local gauge quantum field theory and spontaneous symmetry breaking
The covariant formulation of quantum electrodynamics (with indefinite metric) is considered. The picture of spontaneous symmetry breaking in (Abelian and non-Abelian) gauge theory is compared with Goldstone's theorem in standard quantum field theory (with positive metric). It is shown that the photon can be identified with the Goldstone particle responsible for breaking local gauge invariance, the photon belonging to the physical Hilbert space because the corresponding global U(1) symmetry is not broken. A Lorentz and locally gauge-invariant nonlocal charge field is constructed. It is verified in the framework of perturbation theory that the corresponding renormalized composite field has on-shell matrix elements free of infrared divergences. It is asserted that such a field can generate physical electron states without the need to introduce a Lorentz-noninvariant cloud of soft photons.
- Research Organization:
- Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia
- OSTI ID:
- 5770440
- Journal Information:
- Sov. J. Particles Nucl. (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Vol. 16:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AXIOMATIC FIELD THEORY
SYMMETRY BREAKING
GAUGE INVARIANCE
GOLDSTONE BOSONS
HILBERT SPACE
LORENTZ INVARIANCE
PERTURBATION THEORY
PHOTONS
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
RENORMALIZATION
U-1 GROUPS
BANACH SPACE
BOSONS
ELECTRODYNAMICS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FIELD THEORIES
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LIE GROUPS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
MATHEMATICAL SPACE
POSTULATED PARTICLES
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
SPACE
SYMMETRY GROUPS
U GROUPS
645400* - High Energy Physics- Field Theory