Generalized gaugings and the field-antifield formalism

Abstract

We discuss the algebra of general gauge theories that are described by the embedding tensor formalism. We compare the gauge transformations dependent and independent of an invariant action, and argue that the generic transformations lead to an infinitely reducible algebra. We connect the embedding tensor formalism to the field-antifield (or Batalin-Vilkovisky) formalism, which is the most general formulation known for general gauge theories and their quantization. The structure equations of the embedding tensor formalism are included in the master equation of the field-antifield formalism.

42 pages; v2: some clarifications and 1 reference added; version to be published in JHEP

References in corpus (3)

• Gauge Theories, Duality Relations and the Tensor Hierarchy
• Electric/magnetic duality for chiral gauge theories with anomaly cancellation
• Supergravity and M-Theory

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Hidden Q-structure and Lie 3-algebra for non-abelian superconformal models in six dimensions
• Deformations of vector-scalar models
• Symplectic gaugings and the field-antifield formalism