Regularization and the BV Formalism

Abstract

We summarize the application of the field--antifield formalism to the quantization of gauge field theories. After the gauge fixing, the main issues are the regularization and anomalies. We illustrate this for chiral $W_3$ gravity. We discuss also gauge theories with a non-local action, induced by a matter system with an anomaly. As an illustration we use induced WZW models, including a discussion of non--local regularization, the importance of the measure and regularization of multiple loops. In these theories antifields become propagating --- one of many roles assigned to them in the BV formalism.