Gauge theories in local causal perturbation theory

In this thesis quantum gauge theories are considered in the framework of local, causal perturbation theory. Gauge invariance is described in terms of the BRS formalism. Local interacting field operators are constructed perturbatively and field equations are established. A nilpotent BRS transformation is defined on the local algebra of fields. It allows the definition of the algebra of local observables as an operator cohomology. This algebra of local observables can be represented in a Hilbert space. The interacting field operators are defined in terms of time ordered products of free field operators. For the results above to hold the time ordered products must satisfy certain normalization conditions. To formulate these conditions also for field operators that contain a spacetime derivative a suitable mathematical description of time ordered products is developed. Among the normalization conditions are Ward identities for the ghost current and the BRS current. The latter are generalizations of a normalization condition that is postulated by D"utsch, Hurth, Krahe and Scharf for Yang-Mills theory. It is not yet proven that this condition has a solution in every order. All other normalization conditions can be accomplished simultaneously. A principle for the correspondence between interacting quantum fields and interacting classical fields is established. Quantum electrodynamics and Yang-Mills theory are examined and the results are compared with the literature.Comment: PhD thesis, 84 page

Accepting Authoritative Decisions: Humans as Wary Cooperators

Why are people more willing to accept some governmental decisions than others? In this article, we present results from a series of original experiments showing that people’s reactions to a given outcome are heavily influenced by the procedure employed to produce the outcome.We find that subjects reactmuch less favorably when a decision maker intentionally keeps a large payoff, thereby leaving the subject with a small payoff, than when that same payoff results from a procedure based on chance or on desert. Moreover, subjects react less favorably to outcomes rendered by decision makers who want to be decision makers than they do to identical outcomes selected by reluctant decision makers. Our results are consistent with increasingly prominent theories of behavior emphasizing people’s aversion to being played for a “sucker,” an attitude that makes perfect sense if people’s main goal is not to acquire as many tangible goods as possible but to make sure they are a valued part of a viable group composed of cooperative individuals