Yang–Mills–Stueckelberg theories, framing and local breaking of symmetries

Abstract

We consider Yang–Mills theory with a compact structure group [Formula: see text] on a Lorentzian 4-manifold [Formula: see text] such that gauge transformations become identity on a submanifold [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] (framing over [Formula: see text]). The space [Formula: see text] is not necessarily a boundary of [Formula: see text] and can have dimension [Formula: see text]. Framing of gauge bundles over [Formula: see text] demands introduction of a [Formula: see text]-valued function [Formula: see text] with support on [Formula: see text] and modification of Yang–Mills equations along [Formula: see text]. The fields [Formula: see text] parametrize non-equivalent flat connections mapped into each other by a dynamical group [Formula: see text] changing gauge frames over [Formula: see text]. It is shown that the charged condensate [Formula: see text] is the Stueckelberg field generating an effective mass of gluons in the domain [Formula: see text] of space [Formula: see text] and keeping them massless outside [Formula: see text]. We argue that the local Stueckelberg field [Formula: see text] can be responsible for color confinement. We also briefly discuss local breaking of symmetries in gravity. It is shown that framing of the tangent bundle over a subspace of spacetime makes gravitons massive in this subspace.