Aspects of massive gauge fields

Abstract

Massive gauge fields whose mass is introduced by hand form very intriguing theories. They depart from their massless counterparts by a straightforward modification. Yet, taking the limit when the same vanishes poses a non-trivial challenge. In these notes, with a focus on vector and two-form fields, we will discuss several aspects that arise when one explores the massless limit. We will study new connections among different theories, and at times raise a question about the already established ones.

13 pages, to appear in the Proceedings of CORFU2024, based on the invited plenary talk at the CORFU2024, The Dark Side of the Universe (DSU2024)