Batalin-Vilkovisky description of Yang-Mills theories with universal extra dimensions

Abstract

The Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) framework is a powerful technique for quantizing a wide range of gauge systems. This formalism employs fields and antifields--introducing a symplectic structure through the antibracket--to implement BRST symmetry, which captures the essence of gauge invariance. Within this context, we study the symmetry structure of a pure Yang-Mills theory with universal extra dimensions. We construct a BRST-invariant extended action for the $(4+n)$-dimensional theory depending on fields and antifields, which constitutes a proper solution to the master equation. The higher-dimensional spacetime and gauge symmetries are then hidden within their four-dimensional counterparts via canonical transformations. Gauge invariances are fixed by combining gauge-fixing procedures for both the standard and Kaluza-Klein (KK) fields. This procedure is implemented covariantly in the adjoint representation of the gauge group. While the standard gauge fields are fixed using the Background Field Method (BFM), the KK gauge excitations are fixed covariantly, as they transform as matter fields. Finally, the manifest $SU(N)$ gauge symmetry of the quantized theory is emphasized.