Rovelli, Carlo (2013) Why Gauge? [Preprint]

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Abstract

The world appears to be well described by gauge theories; why? I suggest that gauge is more than mathematical redundancy. Gauge-dependent quantities can not be predicted, but there is a sense in which they can be measured. They describe ``handles" though which systems couple: they represent real relational structures to which the experimentalist has access in measurement by supplying one of the relata in the measurement procedure itself. This observation leads to a physical interpretation for the ubiquity of gauge: it is a consequence of a relational structure of physical quantities.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Rovelli, Carlo rovelli@cpt.univ-mrs.fr 0000-0003-1724-9737
Keywords:	Gauge. Symmetry.
Subjects:	General Issues > Structure of Theories Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User:	Carlo Rovelli
Date Deposited:	15 Nov 2013 13:51
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2024 13:15
Item ID:	10096
Subjects:	General Issues > Structure of Theories Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date:	26 August 2013
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/10096

Available Versions of this Item

• Why Gauge? (deposited 26 Aug 2013 15:14)
  • Why Gauge? (deposited 15 Nov 2013 13:50)
    • Why Gauge? (deposited 15 Nov 2013 13:51) [Currently Displayed]

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