Spatial Geometry of the Electric Field Representation of Non-Abelian Gauge Theories

Abstract

A unitary transformation $\Ps [E]=\exp (i\O [E]/g) F[E]$ is used to simplify the Gauss law constraint of non-abelian gauge theories in the electric field representation. This leads to an unexpected geometrization because $\o^a_i\equiv -\d\O [E]/\d E^{ai}$ transforms as a (composite) connection. The geometric information in $\o^a_i$ is transferred to a gauge invariant spatial connection $\G^i_{jk}$ and torsion by a suitable choice of basis vectors for the adjoint representation which are constructed from the electric field $E^{ai}$. A metric is also constructed from $E^{ai}$. For gauge group $SU(2)$, the spatial geometry is the standard Riemannian geometry of a 3-manifold, and for $SU(3)$ it is a metric preserving geometry with both conventional and unconventional torsion. The transformed Hamiltonian is local. For a broad class of physical states, it can be expressed entirely in terms of spatial geometric, gauge invariant variables.