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In Which Sense Can We Say That First-Class Constraints Generate Gauge Transformations?

Mozota Frauca, Alvaro (2024) In Which Sense Can We Say That First-Class Constraints Generate Gauge Transformations? Philosophy of Physics, 2 (1).

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Abstract

In this paper, I consider a recent controversy about whether first-class constraints generate gauge transformations in the case of electromagnetism. I argue that there is a notion of gauge transformation, the extended notion, which is different from the original gauge transformation of electromagnetism, but at the same time not trivial, which allows the making of that claim. I further argue that one can expect that this claim can be extended to more general theories, and that Dirac’s conjecture may be true for some physically reasonable theories and only in this sense of gauge transformation. Finally, I argue that the extended notion of gauge transformation seems unnatural from the point of view of classical theories, but that it nicely fits with the way quantum versions of gauge theories are constructed.


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Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Mozota Frauca, Alvaroalvaro.mozota@upc.edu0000-0002-7715-0563
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Depositing User: Dr. Alvaro Mozota Frauca
Date Deposited: 11 Oct 2024 14:51
Last Modified: 11 Oct 2024 14:51
Item ID: 24045
Journal or Publication Title: Philosophy of Physics
Publisher: LSE Press
Official URL: https://philosophyofphysics.lse.ac.uk/articles/10....
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.31389/pop.48
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Physics > Classical Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics
Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Field Theory
Specific Sciences > Physics > Symmetries/Invariances
Date: 11 July 2024
Volume: 2
Number: 1
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24045

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