Quantization ambiguity and non-trivial vacuum structure

It is pointed out that there is an ambiguity in quantization of any system whose configuration space has a non-trivial topology characterized by a Chern number. In field theories this ambiguity manifests itself through the existence of θ sectors. The point of view adopted gives a simple interpretati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear physics. B 1979-01, Vol.149 (2), p.237-242
Main Authors: Rothe, H.J., Swieca, J.A.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:It is pointed out that there is an ambiguity in quantization of any system whose configuration space has a non-trivial topology characterized by a Chern number. In field theories this ambiguity manifests itself through the existence of θ sectors. The point of view adopted gives a simple interpretation of the difference between the temporal and Coulomb gauge descriptions of instantons. The general ideas are exemplified in the O(3) non-linear σ model in two dimensions.
ISSN:0550-3213
1873-1562
DOI:10.1016/0550-3213(79)90239-6