Quantum antibrackets

A binary expression in terms of operators is given which satisfies all the quantum counterparts of the algebraic properties of the classical antibracket. This quantum antibracket has therefore the same relation to the classical antibracket as commutators to Poisson brackets. It is explained how this quantum antibracket is related to the classical antibracket and the \Delta-operator in the BV-quantization. Higher quantum antibrackets are introduced in terms of generating operators, which automatically yield all their subsequent Jacobi identities as well as the consistent Leibniz' rules.Comment: 12 pages,Latexfile,Corrected misprint in (43

General Triplectic Quantization

The general structure of the Sp(2) covariant version of the field-antifield quantization of general constrained systems in the Lagrangian formalism, the so called triplectic quantization, as presented in our previous paper with A.M.Semikhatov is further generalized and clarified. We present new unified expressions for the generating operators which are more invariant and which yield a natural realization of the operator V^a and provide for a geometrical explanation for its presence. This V^a operator provides then for an invariant definition of a degenerate Poisson bracket on the triplectic manifold being nondegenerate on a naturally defined submanifold. We also define inverses to nondegenerate antitriplectic metrics and give a natural generalization of the conventional calculus of exterior differential forms which e g explains the properties of these inverses. Finally we define and give a consistent treatment of second class hyperconstraints.Comment: 19 pages,latexfile,improved wedge produc

Completely anticanonical form of Sp(2)-symmetric Lagrangian quantization

The Sp(2)-symmetric Lagrangian quantization scheme is represented in a completely anticanonical form. Antifields are assigned to all field variables including former "parametric" ones \pi^{Aa}. The antibrackets (F, G)^a as well as the operators \triangle^a and V^a are extended to include the new anticanonical pairs \pi^{Aa}, \bar{\phi}_A. A new version of the gauge fixing mechanism in the Lagrangian effective action is proposed. The corresponding functional integral is shown to be gauge independent.Comment: 7 pages,latexfil

Quantum Sp(2)-antibrackets and open groups

The recently presented quantum antibrackets are generalized to quantum Sp(2)-antibrackets. For the class of commuting operators there are true quantum versions of the classical Sp(2)-antibrackets. For arbitrary operators we have a generalized bracket structure involving higher Sp(2)-antibrackets. It is shown that these quantum antibrackets may be obtained from generating operators involving operators in arbitrary involutions. A recently presented quantum master equation for operators, which was proposed to encode generalized quantum Maurer-Cartan equations for arbitrary open groups, is generalized to the Sp(2) formalism. In these new quantum master equations the generalized Sp(2)-brackets appear naturally.Comment: 17 pages,Latexfile,corrected minor misprint in (78

Gauge theory of second class constraints without extra variables

We show that any theory with second class constraints may be cast into a gauge theory if one makes use of solutions of the constraints expressed in terms of the coordinates of the original phase space. We perform a Lagrangian path integral quantization of the resulting gauge theory and show that the natural measure follows from a superfield formulation.Comment: 12 pages, Latexfil

Projection operator approach to general constrained systems

We propose a new BRST-like quantization procedure which is applicable to dynamical systems containing both first and second class constraints. It requires no explicit separation into first and second class constraints and therefore no conversion of second class constraints is needed. The basic ingredient is instead an invariant projection operator which projects out the maximal subset of constraints in involution. The hope is that the method will enable a covariant quantization of models for which there is no covariant separation into first and second class constraints. An example of this type is given.Comment: 12 pages, Latexfile,minor misprints correcte

Superfield algorithms for topological field theories

A superfield algorithm for master actions of a class of gauge field theories including topological ones in arbitrary dimensions is presented generalizing a previous treatment in two dimensions. General forms for master actions in superspace are given, and possible theories are determined by means of a ghost number prescription and the master equations. The resulting master actions determine the original actions together with their gauge invariances. Generalized Poisson sigma models in arbitrary dimensions are constructed by means of this algorithm, and other applications in low dimensions are given including the Chern-Simon model.Comment: 17 pages,Latexfile,minor remarks and change

Open group transformations within the Sp(2)-formalism

Previously we have shown that open groups whose generators are in arbitrary involutions may be quantized within a ghost extended framework in terms of the nilpotent BFV-BRST charge operator. Here we show that they may also be quantized within an Sp(2)-frame in which there are two odd anticommuting operators called Sp(2)-charges. Previous results for finite open group transformations are generalized to the Sp(2)-formalism. We show that in order to define open group transformations on the whole ghost extended space we need Sp(2)-charges in the nonminimal sector which contains dynamical Lagrange multipliers. We give an Sp(2)-version of the quantum master equation with extended Sp(2)-charges and a master charge of a more involved form, which is proposed to represent the integrability conditions of defining operators of connection operators and which therefore should encode the generalized quantum Maurer-Cartan equations for arbitrary open groups. General solutions of this master equation are given in explicit form. A further extended Sp(2)-formalism is proposed in which the group parameters are quadrupled to a supersymmetric set and from which all results may be derived.Comment: 16 pages, Latexfil

Antisymplectic Gauge Theories

A general field-antifield BV formalism for antisymplectic first class constraints is proposed. It is as general as the corresponding symplectic BFV-BRST formulation and it is demonstrated to be consistent with a previously proposed formalism for antisymplectic second class constraints through a generalized conversion to corresponding first class constraints. Thereby the basic concept of gauge symmetry is extended to apply to quite a new class of gauge theories potentially possible to exist.Comment: 13 pages,Latexfile,New introductio