On General Axial Gauges for QCD

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the Wilsonian Renormalisation Group approach naturally resolves the singularities in axial gauges for QCD, revealing the gauge as a fixed point and computing the universal 1-loop running of the coupling.

Contribution

It shows that the Wilsonian approach avoids the singularities of axial gauges and identifies the gauge as a fixed point, providing a new perspective on gauge fixing in QCD.

Findings

Axial gauge is a fixed point under the Wilsonian flow.

The universal 1-loop running of the gauge coupling is computed.

Spurious propagator singularities are naturally absent in this approach.

Abstract

General Axial Gauges within a perturbative approach to QCD are plagued by 'spurious' propagator singularities. Their regularisation has to face major conceptual and technical problems. We show that this obstacle is naturally absent within a Wilsonian or 'Exact' Renormalisation Group approach and explain why this is so. The axial gauge turns out to be a fixed point under the flow, and the universal 1-loop running of the gauge coupling is computed.