Quantisation of $O(N)$ invariant nonlinear sigma model in the Batalin-Tyutin formalism

Abstract

We quantise the $O(N)$ nonlinear sigma model using the Batalin Tyutin (BT) approach of converting a second class system into first class. It is a {\it nontrivial} application of the BT method since the quantisation of this model by the conventional Dirac procedure suffers from operator ordering ambiguities. The first class constraints, the BRST Hamiltonian and the BRST charge are explicitly computed. The partition function is constructed and evaluated in the unitary gauge and a multiplier (ghost) dependent gauge.