Abstract
In this paper we consider external current QED in the Coulomb gauge and in axial gauges for various spatial directions of the axis. For a non-zero electric charge of the current, we demonstrate that any two different gauges from this class correspond to quantum theories which are not unitarily equivalent. We show that the spacelike asymptotic flux of the electromagnetic field is the underlying superselected quantity. We also express the large gauge transformation linking two distinct axial gauges by the Wilson loop over a contour limited by the two axes. Thus the underlying physical mechanism appears to be related to the Aharonov-Bohm effect.
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ArXiv ePrint: 1907.06750
Wojciech Dybalski, This work was supported by the DFG within the Emmy Noether grant DY107/2-1.
Benedikt Wegener, Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow of the Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica.
Benedikt Wegener, This project has received funding from the European Union’s 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 713485.
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Dybalski, W., Wegener, B. Asymptotic charges, large gauge transformations and inequivalence of different gauges in external current QED. J. High Energ. Phys. 2019, 126 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2019)126
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2019)126