Gauging what's real
Subtitle: the conceptual foundations of contemporary gauge theories
By: Richard Healey
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Oxford; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 297
ISBN-13: 9780199287963
Subjects: Gauge fields (Physics); Physics -- Philosophy
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [280]-286) and index
Table of contents: title: What is a gauge theory?; title: Classical electromagnetism : a paradigm gauge theory; title: A fiber bundle formulation; title: Electromagnetic interactions of quantum particles; title: Electromagnetic interactions of matter fields; title: The Aharonov-Bohm effect; title: Fiber bundles; title: A gauge-invariant, local explanation?; title: Geometry and topology in the Aharonov-Bohm effect; title: Locality in the Aharonov-Bohm effect; title: Lessons for classical electromagnetism; title: Classical gauge theories; title: Non-Abelian Yang-Mills theories; title: The fiber bundle formulation; title: Loops, groups, and hoops; title: Topological issues; title: A fiber bundle formulation of general relativity; title: A gravitational analog to the Aharonov-Bohm effect; title: Interpreting classical gauge theories; title: The no gauge potential properties view; title: The localized gauge potential properties view; title: Problems defining theoretical terms; title: Leeds's view; title: Maudlin's interpretation; title: The non-localized gauge potential properties view; title: A holonomy interpretation; title: Epistemological considerations; title: Objections considered; title: Semantic considerations; title: Metaphysical implications : non-separability and holism; title: Quantized Yang-Mills gauge theories; title: How to quantize a classical field; title: Coulomb gauge quantization; title: Lorenz gauge quantization; title: Classical electromagnetism as a constrained Hamiltonian system; title: The free Maxwell field as a Hamiltonian system; title: Path-integral quantization; title: Canonical quantization of non-Abelian fields; title: Path-integral quantization of non-Abelian fields; title: Interacting fields in the Lagrangian formulation; title: The empirical import of gauge symmetry; title: Two kinds of symmetry; title: Observing gauge symmetry?; title: The gauge argument; title: Ghost fields; title: Spontaneous symmetry-breaking; title: The [theta]-vacuum; title: Anomalies; title: Loop representations; title: The significance of loop representations; title: Loop representations of the free Maxwell field; title: Loop representations of other free Yang-Mills fields; title: Interacting fields in loop representations; title: The [theta]-vacuum in a loop representation; title: Interpreting quantized Yang-Mills gauge theories; title: Auyang's event ontology; title: Problems of interpreting a quantum field theory; title: Particle interpretations; title: Bohmian interpretations; title: Copenhagen interpretations; title: Everettian interpretations; title: Modal interpretations; title: Conclusions; title: Electromagnetism and its generalizations; title: Fiber bundles; title: The constrained Hamiltonian formalism; title: Alternative quantum representations; title: Algebraic quantum field theory; title: Interpretations of quantum mechanics; title: The Copenhagen interpretation; title: Bohmian mechanics; title: Everettian interpretations; title: Modal interpretations