Quantum and Classical Gauge Symmetries in a Modified Quantization Scheme

TL;DR

This paper explores a modified quantization scheme that relates massive vector theories to gauge invariant formulations, extending the concept of quantum gauge symmetry beyond classical gauge theories and analyzing its implications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the equivalence of a modified quantization scheme to the Faddeev-Popov method without large mass limits and proposes extending quantum gauge symmetry to theories with broken gauge invariance.

Findings

Modified quantization scheme matches Faddeev-Popov formula without large mass limit

Classical massive vector theories can be viewed as gauge invariant or non-gauge theories

Extended quantum gauge symmetry applies to theories with broken gauge invariance

Abstract

The use of the mass term as a gauge fixing term has been studied by Zwanziger, Parrinello and Jona-Lasinio, which is related to the non-linear gauge $A_{\mu}^{2}=\lambda$ of Dirac and Nambu in the large mass limit. We have recently shown that this modified quantization scheme is in fact identical to the conventional {\em local} Faddeev-Popov formula {\em without} taking the large mass limit, if one takes into account the variation of the gauge field along the entire gauge orbit and if the Gribov complications can be ignored. This suggests that the classical massive vector theory, for example, is interpreted in a more flexible manner either as a gauge invariant theory with a gauge fixing term added, or as a conventional massive non-gauge theory. As for massive gauge particles, the Higgs mechanics, where the mass term is gauge invariant, has a more intrinsic meaning. It is suggested to extend the notion of quantum gauge symmetry (BRST symmetry) not only to classical gauge theory but also to a wider class of theories whose gauge symmetry is broken by some extra terms in the classical action. We comment on the implications of this extended notion of quantum gauge symmetry.