The Stueckelberg Field

In 1938, Stueckelberg introduced a scalar field which makes an Abelian gauge theory massive but preserves gauge invariance. The Stueckelberg mechanism is the introduction of new fields to reveal a symmetry of a gauge--fixed theory. We first review the Stueckelberg mechanism in the massive Abelian gauge theory. We then extend this idea to the standard model, stueckelberging the hypercharge U(1) and thus giving a mass to the physical photon. This introduces an infrared regulator for the photon in the standard electroweak theory, along with a modification of the weak mixing angle accompanied by a plethora of new effects. Notably, neutrinos couple to the photon and charged leptons have also a pseudo-vector coupling. Finally, we review the historical influence of Stueckelberg's 1938 idea, which led to applications in many areas not anticipated by the author, such as strings. We describe the numerous proposals to generalize the Stueckelberg trick to the non-Abelian case with the aim to find alternatives to the standard model. Nevertheless, the Higgs mechanism in spontaneous symmetry breaking remains the only presently known way to give masses to non-Abelian vector fields in a renormalizable and unitary theory.Comment: 58 pages, revtex4 RMP format. Added references, minor improvements to tex

Quantum κ\kappa-Poincare in Any Dimensions

The $\kappa$-deformation of the D-dimensional Poincar\'e algebra $(D\geq 2)$ with any signature is given. Further the quadratic Poisson brackets, determined by the classical $r$-matrix are calculated, and the quantum Poincar\'e group "with noncommuting parameters" is obtained.Comment: (PLAIN TeX, 10 pp.

q-Deformation of Semisimple and Non-Semisimple Lie Algebras

We give an elementary introduction to the Drinfeld-Jimbo procedure of the quantum deformation Uq(g) of semisimple Lie algebras g. The q—Serre relations are discussed in some detail, in the Chevalley and the Cartan—Weyl basis. We review the real forms of g and Uq(g). The general procedure is illustrated by the examples Uq(sℓ(2)) and Uq (so(5, ℂ)). After some general considerations on non-semisimple Lie algebras, we discuss in detail the quantum deformation of the Poincaré algebra, involving the contraction of Uq(so(3, 2)). Some physical consequences are mentioned