Hamiltonian formulations of Yang–Mills theory and gauge ambiguity in quantization

Abstract

A general formulation of the Hamiltonian in non-Abelian Yang–Mills theory is given. The subject of gauge-fixing ambiguity is investigated. It is shown how this type of degeneracy affects the Faddeev–Popov prescription for the corresponding path-integral formulation at the quantum level. A method for treating this problem is developed. The ideas are implemented by quantizing the theory in the axial gauge. PACS Nos.: 11.10Ef, 11.15-q, 11.15Tk