Gauge Invariance in Non-Relativistic Many-Body Theory

T. K. Rai Dastidar, Krishna Rai Dastidar

Valério Olevano, Massimo Ladisa

We present a relativistic covariant form of many-body theory. The many-body covariant Lagrangian is derived from QED by integrating out the internal non-quantized electromagnetic field. The ordinary many-body Hamiltonian is recovered as an approximation to the exact covariant theory that contains many-body terms beyond the solely electrostatic interaction, e.g. the Lorentz force among electrons, spin-spin etc. Spin and relativistic terms, e.g. spin-orbit, are also automatically accounted. Moreover, the theory is compact, gauge-invariant and respects causality.

H. J. Lee, Paul de Celles, Eugene R. Marshalek

R. Guy Woolley

A novel Hamiltonian scheme for non–relativistic quantum electrodynamics in which the gauge arbitrariness of the field potential is kept explicit is used to study the gauge–dependence properties of various versions of perturbation theory when resonance and line–broadening effects are admitted. Time–dependent perturbation theory is shown to have severe gauge–dependence problems unless ad hoc modifications are made. A time–independent formulation of S–matrix theory is then studied. Far from resonance, the S–matrix is gauge invariant in all orders of perturbation theory due to a very precise cancellation of gauge–dependent terms which requires, among other things, complete sets of intermediate states; energy conservation also has a crucial role. However, an obvious separation of the S–matrix into a resonant (pole) and non–resonant background leads to incomplete cancellation of the gauge–dependent terms. The introduction of the Heitler damping matrix into an integral equation for the T–matrix leads to a gauge–invariant result. This provides the basis for a gauge invariant S–matrix theory of atoms and molecules interacting with electromagnetic radiation that encompasses resonance and damping effects.

Ingvar Lindgren

Zohar, E., Cirac, J., Reznik, B.

Can high-energy physics be simulated by low-energy, non-relativistic, many-body systems such as ultracold atoms? Such ultracold atomic systems lack the type of symmetries and dynamical properties of high energy physics models: in particular, they manifest neither local gauge invariance nor Lorentz invariance, which are crucial properties of the quantum field theories which are the building blocks of the standard model of elementary particles. However, it turns out, surprisingly, that there are ways to configure an atomic system to manifest both local gauge invariance and Lorentz invariance. In particular, local gauge invariance can arise either as an effective low-energy symmetry, or as an exact symmetry, following from the conservation laws in atomic interactions. Hence, one could hope that such quantum simulators may lead to a new type of (table-top) experiments which will be used to study various QCD (quantum chromodynamics) phenomena, such as the confinement of dynamical quarks, phase transitions and other effects, which are inaccessible using the currently known computational methods. In this report, we review the Hamiltonian formulation of lattice gauge theories, and then describe our recent progress in constructing the quantum simulation of Abelian and non-Abelian lattice gauge theories in 1 + 1 and 2 + 1 dimensions using ultracold atoms in optical lattices.