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5
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1answer
348 views

Faddeev-Popov ghost propagator in canonical quantization

Obtaining the propagator for the Faddeev-Popov (FP) ghosts from the path integral language is straightforward. It is simply $$\langle T(c(x) \bar c(y))\rangle~=~\int\frac{d^4 p}{(2\pi)^4}\frac{i ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views

Origin of Higgs ghosts

In M. Veltman's Diagrammatica, appendix E, one can find the full Standard Model lagrangian. Some sectors (e.g fermion-Higgs and weak sectors) contain so-called Higgs ghosts $\phi^+,\phi^-$ and ...
7
votes
1answer
208 views

Clarification on “central charge equals number of degrees of freedom”

It's often stated that the central charge c of a CFT counts the degrees of freedom: it adds up when stacking different fields, decreases as you integrate out UV dof from one fixed point to another, ...
2
votes
1answer
246 views

Hidden particles in higher derivative field theories

Given a higher derivative classical/quantum field theory with say one scalar field, particularly the Lee-Wick standard model. It has been shown that such a field theory encompasses two kinds of ...
2
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3answers
124 views

Is BRST ghost number conserved in quantum gravity?

Quantum gravity needs Faddeev-Popov ghosts. Feynman showed that. Take a black hole. Hawking pair production of ghost-antighost pair. One ghost falls into the hole and hits the singularity. The ghost ...
3
votes
2answers
406 views

What is the ontological status of Faddeev Popov ghosts?

We all know Faddeev-Popov ghosts are needed in manifestly Lorentz covariant nonabelian quantum gauge theories. We also all know they decouple from the rest of matter asymptotically, although they ...
6
votes
1answer
114 views

Who added $\frac{3}{2} \partial^2 c$ to the virasoro BRST current (and why)?

I've been looking at the literature on quantizing the bosonic string, and I noticed that there was a change made in the definition of the BRST current around 1992. However, I haven't found any ...
8
votes
2answers
135 views

Is ghost-number a physical reality/observable?

One perspective is to say that one introduced the ghost fields into the Lagrangian to be able to write the gauge transformation determinant as a path-integral. Hence I was tempted to think of them as ...