A Superspace Formulation of the BV Action for Higher Derivative Gauge Theories

We first analyze the anti-BRST and double BRST structures of a certain higher derivative theory that has been known to possess BRST symmetry associated with its higher derivative structure. We discuss the invariance of this theory under shift symmetry in the Batalin Vilkovisky (BV) formalism. We show that the action for this theory can be written in a manifestly extended BRST invariant manner in superspace formalism using one Grassmann coordinate. It can also be written in ...

We discuss the extended BRST and anti-BRST symmetry (including shift symmetry) in the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) formulation for two and three form gauge theories. Further we develop the superspace formulation for the BV actions for these theories. We show that the extended BRST invariant BV action for these theories can be written manifestly covariant manner in a superspace with one Grassmann coordinate. On the hand a superspace with two Grassmann coordinates are required for a...

In this paper we analyse perturbative higher derivative gravity which is known to possess a BRST symmetry associated with its higher derivative structure. We first analyse the anti-BRST and double BRST symmetries of this theory. We then discuss the extended BRST and extended anti-BRST symmetries of this theory using the superspace formalism. We show that even though this theory is generally invariant under extended BRST transformations under extended anti-BRST transformations...

We show that the BV (Batalin Vilkovisky) action, formulated with an extended BRST symmetry (including the shift symmetry), is also invariant under an extended anti-BRST transformation (where the antifields are the parameters of the transformation), when the gauge fixing Lagrangian is both BRST and anti-BRST invariant. We show that for a general gauge fixing Lagrangian, the BV action can be written in a manifestly extended BRST invariant manner in a superspace with one Grassma...

We discuss the extended BRST and anti-BRST symmetry (including shift symmetry) in the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) formulation for the Chern-Simons (CS) theories in $(2+1)$ spacetime dimensions. Further we develop the superspace description of BV formulation for such theories. Interestingly, the extended BRST invariant CS theories can be described in superspace in covariant manner with the help of one more (Grassmann) coordinate. However, a superspace with two Grassmann coordinate...

A superspace formulation for the Batalin Vilkovisky formalism (also called field-antifield quantization ) with extended BRST invariance (BRST and anti-BRST invariance ) for gauge theories with closed algebra is presented. In contrast to a recent formulation, where only BRST invariance holds off shell, two collective sets of fields are introduced and an off shell realization of the extended algebra in a superspace with two Grassmann coordinates is obtained. The example of the ...

In this Letter we consider the perturbative quantum gravity on the super-manifold which remains invariant under absolutely anticommuting BRST and anti-BRST transformations. In addition to that the theory posses one more symmetry known as shift symmetry. The BRST invariant Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) action for perturbative quantum gravity is realized as a translation in Grassmann coordinate. Further we show that the quantum master equation of the BV quantization method at one-loo...

We show that some higher derivative theories have a BRST symmetry. This symmetry is due to the higher derivative structure and is not associated to any gauge invariance. If physical states are defined as those in the BRST cohomology then the only physical state is the vacuum. All negative norm states, characteristic of higher derivative theories, are removed from the physical sector. As a consequence, unitarity is recovered but the S-matrix is trivial. We show that a class of...

Very special relativity (VSR) keeps the main features of special relativity but breaks rotational invariance due to an intrinsic preferred direction. We study the VSR modified extended BRST and anti-BRST symmetry of the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) actions corresponding to the $p=1,2,3$-form gauge theories. Within VSR framework, we discuss the extended BRST invariant and extended BRST and anti-BRST invariant superspace formulations for these BV actions. Here we observe that the VS...

For a wide class of mechanical systems, invariant under gauge transformations with higher (arbitrary) order time derivatives of gauge parameters, the equivalence of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian BRST formalisms is proved. It is shown that the Ostrogradsky formalism establishes the natural rules to relate the BFV ghost canonical pairs with the ghosts and antighosts introduced by the Lagrangian approach. Explicit relation between corresponding gauge-fixing terms is obtained.