The Relation Between Gauge and Non-Gauge Abelian Models

Abstract: This work studies the relationship between gauge-invariant and non gauge-invariant abelian vector models. Following a technique introduced by Harada and Tsutsui, we show that the Proca and the Chiral Schwinger models may both be viewed as gauge-fixed versions of genuinely gauge- invariant models. This leads to the proposal that any consistent Abelian vector model with no gauge symmetry can be understood as a gauge theory that had its gauge fixed, which establishes an equivalence between gauge-invariant and non gauge-invariant models. Finally, we show that a gauge-invariant version of the chiral Schwinger model, after integrating out the fermionic degrees of freedom, can be identified with the two-dimensional Stueckelberg model without the gauge fixing term.