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Do First-Class Constraints Generate Gauge Transformations? A Geometric Resolution

Bradley, Clara (2025) Do First-Class Constraints Generate Gauge Transformations? A Geometric Resolution. [Preprint]

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Abstract

In the Hamiltonian formalism, a gauge transformation is typically defined as a transformation generated by an arbitrary combination of first-class constraints. But gauge transformations are also understood as marking physical equivalence: they relate states or solutions that represent the same physical situation. Whether these two characterizations coincide has been a matter of debate. Pitts (2014), for example, contends that first-class constraints can generate a “bad physical change”. This paper defends the standard view, arguing that it correctly identifies both states and solutions that are equivalent from the perspective of the geometric structure of the Hamiltonian formalism. In doing so, it clarifies the relationship between mathematical and interpretational perspectives on gauge transformations.

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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Bradley, Claraclarajbradley@gmail.com
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User: Clara Bradley
Date Deposited: 14 Nov 2025 13:45
Last Modified: 14 Nov 2025 13:45
Item ID: 27212
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date: 13 November 2025
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/27212

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