5 research outputs found
Stratification of the orbit space in gauge theories. The role of nongeneric strata
Gauge theory is a theory with constraints and, for that reason, the space of
physical states is not a manifold but a stratified space (orbifold) with
singularities. The classification of strata for smooth (and generalized)
connections is reviewed as well as the formulation of the physical space as the
zero set of a momentum map. Several important features of nongeneric strata are
discussed and new results are presented suggesting an important role for these
strata as concentrators of the measure in ground state functionals and as a
source of multiple structures in low-lying excitations.Comment: 22 pages Latex, 1 figur