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Gauge Invariance Through Gauge Fixing

Wallace, David (2024) Gauge Invariance Through Gauge Fixing. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Phenomena in gauge theory are often described in the physics literature via a specific choice of gauge. In foundational and philosophical discussions this is often criticized as introducing gauge dependence, and contrasted against (often aspirational) ``gauge-invariant'' descriptions of the physics. I argue, largely in the context of scalar electrodynamics, that this is misguided, and that descriptions of a physical process within a specific gauge are in fact gauge-invariant descriptions. However, most of them are non-local descriptions of that physics, and I suggest that this ought to be the real objection to such descriptions. I explore the unitary gauge as the exception to this nonlocality and consider its strengths and limitations, as well as (more briefly) its extension beyond scalar electrodynamics.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Wallace, David
Keywords: gauge theory gauge equivalence
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User: Professor David Wallace
Date Deposited: 26 Apr 2024 22:41
Last Modified: 26 Apr 2024 22:41
Item ID: 23314
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date: April 2024
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/23314

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