Torsion and Gauge Invariance in Maxwell-Dirac Electrodynamics

Abstract

It has been known for a long time that the presence of torsion is in conflict with gauge invariance of the the electromagnetic field in curved Riemann-Cartan space if the Maxwell field is minimally coupled to the curved gravitational space through the covariant derivative. In search for a possible solution, we consider in this note the system of Maxwell-Dirac electrodynamics in Riemann-Cartan space. Through investigating consistency of the field equations, and taking cue from the scale invariance properties of the system, we come up with a solution that satisfies gauge invariance without having to dispense with torsion in the coupled Maxwell-Dirac system. This is achieved by modifying the connection that appears in the covariant derivative for the Maxwell field. The modified connection turns out to be in the form of a Weyl connection, with the torsion trace vector playing the effective role of a Weyl gauge field. With this modified connection, which is symmetrical, the Lorentz-spin current of the photon field is seen to vanish. In addition, except for the Dirac mass term, the system exhibits local scale invariance. The same consideration applies to all gauge theories, abelian or non-ableian, in the standard model of particle physics.