Gauge invariance and the effective potential

Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984 · Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-4916(84)90209-4· OSTI ID:6444509

Aitchison, I J.R.; Fraser, C M

The gauge invariance of physical quantities calculated in spontaneously broken gauge theories using the effective potential is discussed. The basic mechanism by which gauge invariance is guaranteed was discovered by Nielsen, and involves identifies of Ward-Takahashi type. The main purpose of the present paper is to supplement Nielsen's formal work by explicit and complete calculations at the one loop level. The Abelian Higgs model is the simplest available, but it has to consider in general R/sub zeta/ gauges in order to avoid infrared divergence. A full derivation of the appropriate Nielsen identities in such gauges is given. Certain restrictions on the class of allowed R/sub zeta/ gauges are found, which resolve some difficulties in the use of such gauges in effective potential calculations. The one-loop calculations are performed using Jackiw's functional method. Explicit forms are obtained for the effective propagators required by Jackiw's formalism, for our generalized R/sub t/ gauges; the model may therefore provide a useful laboratory for other investigations. The extension of the identities to spontanteously broken non-Abelian gauge theory is given.

• Research Organization: Department of Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3NP, England
• OSTI ID: 6444509
• Journal Information: Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States), Journal Name: Ann. Phys. (N.Y.); (United States) Vol. 156:1; ISSN APNYA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

645400* -- High Energy Physics-- Field Theory
72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
ELECTRODYNAMICS
FIELD THEORIES
FUNCTIONS
GAUGE INVARIANCE
GREEN FUNCTION
HIGGS MODEL
INVARIANCE PRINCIPLES
LAGRANGIAN FIELD THEORY
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARTICLE MODELS
POTENTIALS
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
SYMMETRY BREAKING
WARD IDENTITY