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A gauge theory has internal degrees of freedom that do not affect the foretold physical outcomes of the theory. The theory has a Lie group of *continuous symmetries* of these internal degrees of freedom, *i.e.* the predicted physics under any transformation in this group on the degrees of freedom. Examples include the $U(1)$-symmetric quantum electrodynamics and other Yang-Mills theories wherein non-Abelian groups replace the $U(1)$ gauge group of QED.

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Yang and Mills' (and others') justification for local gauge invariance

In most physics textbooks, local gauge invariance is simply postulated---you start with a global symmetry, e.g. the global phase, then allow it to depend on the spacetime point, make the necessary adj …
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