8 papers · 1 filter
Ghosts that Connect
Henrique Gomes
The Faddeev--Popov procedure poses two conceptual puzzles. \emph{Puzzle~(1)}: if gauge-equivalent configurations represent the same physics, the quotient $\F/\G$ should suffice to…
The geometry-first formulation of gauge theory is not equivalent to the symmetry-first one
Henrique Gomes
This paper argues that the geometry-first and symmetry-first formulations of gauge theory are not equivalent. They differ in three respects. First, the geometry-first formulation--…
Making Symmetry Explicit: The Limits of Sophistication
Henrique Gomes
Symmetry is often treated in philosophy of physics as an interpretive problem. A particularly lively dispute concerns local symmetries: do they indicate surplus structure that ough…
The Aharonov-Bohm effect: reality and folklore
Henrique Gomes
The Aharonov-Bohm (A-B) effect has been a major focus of the foundations of physics. And yet, much confusion persists. In particular, the effect purportedly leads to a dilemma: on…
Charge quantisation without compactness: the Higgs and Yukawa mechanisms from matter geometry
Henrique Gomes
In the \emph{geometry-first} formulation of gauge theory \citep{Gomes_internal}, Hermitian vector bundles and their covariant derivatives are the primitive objects. Here gauge grou…
Boundaries, frames and the issue of physical covariance
Henrique Gomes, Simon Langenscheidt, Daniele Oriti
We focus on three distinct lines of recent developments: edge modes and boundary charges in gravitational physics, relational dynamics in classical and quantum gravity, and quantum…