nLab gauge potential

Contents

Context

Physics

physics, mathematical physics, philosophy of physics

Surveys, textbooks and lecture notes


theory (physics), model (physics)

experiment, measurement, computable physics

see also at electromagnetic potential

Contents

Idea

In gauge theory in physics a field configuration is modeled, in mathematics-terminology by a connection \nabla on a principal bundle PP (or some associated bundle). In physics-terminology the connection \nabla is sometimes called the gauge potential (while the equivalence class of PP is called the instanton sector and the curvature F F_\nabla is called the field strength).

Specfically in electromagnetism one also speaks of electromagnetic potential or vector potential.

gauge field: models and components

physicsdifferential geometrydifferential cohomology
gauge fieldconnection on a bundlecocycle in differential cohomology
instanton/charge sectorprincipal bundlecocycle in underlying cohomology
gauge potentiallocal connection differential formlocal connection differential form
field strengthcurvatureunderlying cocycle in de Rham cohomology
gauge transformationequivalencecoboundary
minimal couplingcovariant derivativetwisted cohomology
BRST complexLie algebroid of moduli stackLie algebroid of moduli stack
extended Lagrangianuniversal Chern-Simons n-bundleuniversal characteristic map

References

The understanding of gauge potentials as connections on fiber bundles is due to

The identification of gauge potentials with connections on fiber bundles is due to:

See also at fiber bundles in physics.

History:

Review:

Last revised on February 8, 2024 at 10:25:35. See the history of this page for a list of all contributions to it.