Symmetry aspects of fermions coupled to torsion and electromagnetic fields

We study and explore the symmetry properties of fermions coupled to dynamical torsion and electromagnetic fields. The stability of the theory upon radiative corrections as well as the presence of anomalies are investigated.Comment: 9 pages, LaTe

Constructive algebraic renormalization of the abelian Higgs-Kibble model

We propose an algorithm, based on Algebraic Renormalization, that allows the restoration of Slavnov-Taylor invariance at every order of perturbation expansion for an anomaly-free BRS invariant gauge theory. The counterterms are explicitly constructed in terms of a set of one-particle-irreducible Feynman amplitudes evaluated at zero momentum (and derivatives of them). The approach is here discussed in the case of the abelian Higgs-Kibble model, where the zero momentum limit can be safely performed. The normalization conditions are imposed by means of the Slavnov-Taylor invariants and are chosen in order to simplify the calculation of the counterterms. In particular within this model all counterterms involving BRS external sources (anti-fields) can be put to zero with the exception of the fermion sector.Comment: Jul, 1998, 31 page

Observables in Topological Yang-Mills Theories

Using topological Yang-Mills theory as example, we discuss the definition and determination of observables in topological field theories (of Witten-type) within the superspace formulation proposed by Horne. This approach to the equivariant cohomology leads to a set of bi-descent equations involving the BRST and supersymmetry operators as well as the exterior derivative. This allows us to determine superspace expressions for all observables, and thereby to recover the Donaldson-Witten polynomials when choosing a Wess-Zumino-type gauge.Comment: 39 pages, Late

On the symmetries of BF models and their relation with gravity

The perturbative finiteness of various topological models (e.g. BF models) has its origin in an extra symmetry of the gauge-fixed action, the so-called vector supersymmetry. Since an invariance of this type also exists for gravity and since gravity is closely related to certain BF models, vector supersymmetry should also be useful for tackling various aspects of quantum gravity. With this motivation and goal in mind, we first extend vector supersymmetry of BF models to generic manifolds by incorporating it into the BRST symmetry within the Batalin-Vilkovisky framework. Thereafter, we address the relationship between gravity and BF models, in particular for three-dimensional space-time.Comment: 29 page

A Completely Invariant SUSY Transform of Supersymmetric QED

We study the SUSY breaking of the covariant gauge-fixing term in SUSY QED and observe that this corresponds to a breaking of the Lorentz gauge condition by SUSY. Reasoning by analogy with SUSY's violation of the Wess-Zumino gauge, we argue that the SUSY transformation, already modified to preserve Wess-Zumino gauge, should be further modified by another gauge transformation which restores the Lorentz gauge condition. We derive this modification and use the resulting transformation to derive a Ward identitiy relating the photon and photino propagators without using ghost fields. Our transformation also fulfills the SUSY algebra, modulo terms that vanish in Lorentz gauge

Let's Twist Again: N=2 Super Yang Mills Theory Coupled To Matter

We give the twisted version of N=2 Super Yang Mills theory coupled to matter, including quantum fields, supersymmetry transformations, action and algebraic structure. We show that the whole action, coupled to matter, can be written as the variation of a nilpotent operator, modulo field equations. An extended Slavnov-Taylor identity, collecting gauge symmetry and supersymmetry, is written, which allows to define the web of algebraic constraints, in view of the algebraic renormalization and of the extension of the non-renormalization theorems holding for N=2 SYM theory without matter.Comment: 28 pages, final version to be published on CQ

Gribov no-pole condition, Zwanziger horizon function, Kugo-Ojima confinement criterion, boundary conditions, BRST breaking and all that

We aim to offer a kind of unifying view on two popular topics in the studies of nonperturbative aspects of Yang-Mills theories in the Landau gauge: the so-called Gribov-Zwanziger approach and the Kugo-Ojima confinement criterion. Borrowing results from statistical thermodynamics, we show that imposing the Kugo-Ojima confinement criterion as a boundary condition leads to a modified yet renormalizable partition function. We verify that the resulting partition function is equivalent with the one obtained by Gribov and Zwanziger, which restricts the domain of integration in the path integral within the first Gribov horizon. The construction of an action implementing a boundary condition allows one to discuss the symmetries of the system in the presence of the boundary. In particular, the conventional BRST symmetry is softly broken.Comment: 5 pages. v2 matches version to appear in PhysRevD (RC

The gluon and ghost propagators in Euclidean Yang-Mills theory in the maximal Abelian gauge: taking into account the effects of the Gribov copies and of the dimension two condensates

The infrared behavior of the gluon and ghost propagators is studied in SU(2) Euclidean Yang-Mills theory in the maximal Abelian gauge within the Gribov-Zwanziger framework. The nonperturbative effects associated with the Gribov copies and with the dimension two condensates are simultaneously encoded into a local and renormalizable Lagrangian. The resulting behavior turns out to be in good agreement with the lattice data.Comment: final version, to appear in Physical Review