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 | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Minor revisions only. | ||||||
| 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 |
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| Depositing User: | Professor David Wallace | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 22 Jul 2024 11:44 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 22 Jul 2024 11:44 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 23716 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Physics > Astrophysics Specific Sciences > Physics > Fields and Particles Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances |
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| Date: | April 2024 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/23716 |
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Gauge Invariance Through Gauge Fixing. (deposited 26 Apr 2024 22:41)
- Gauge Invariance Through Gauge Fixing. (deposited 22 Jul 2024 11:44) [Currently Displayed]
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