https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s2006-02540-8
Theoretical Physics
Unique nilpotent symmetry transformations for matter fields in QED: augmented superfield formalism
1
S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block JD, Sector III, Salt Lake, Calcutta, 700 098, India
2
Centre of Advanced Studies, Physics Department, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221 005, India
* e-mail: malik@bhu.ac.in
Received:
17
January
2006
Revised:
5
March
2006
Published online:
19
April
2006
We derive the off-shell nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetry transformations for the interacting U(1) gauge theory of quantum electrodynamics (QED) in the framework of the augmented superfield approach to the BRST formalism. In addition to the horizontality condition, we invoke another gauge invariant condition on the six (4,2)-dimensional supermanifold to obtain the exact and unique nilpotent symmetry transformations for all the basic fields present in the (anti-)BRST invariant Lagrangian density of the physical four (3+1)-dimensional QED. The above supermanifold is parametrized by four even space–time variables (with μ=0,1,2,3) and two odd variables (θ and
) of the Grassmann algebra. The new gauge invariant condition on the supermanifold owes its origin to the (super) covariant derivatives and leads to the derivation of unique nilpotent symmetry transformations for the matter fields. The geometrical interpretations for all the above off-shell nilpotent (anti-)BRST transformations are also discussed.
© Springer-Verlag, 2006