The Topological G/G WZW Model in the Generalized Momentum Representation

Abstract

We consider the topological gauged WZW model in the generalized momentum representation. The chiral field $g$ is interpreted as a counterpart of the electric field $E$ of conventional gauge theories. The gauge dependence of wave functionals $\Psi(g)$ is governed by a new gauge cocycle $\phi_{GWZW}$. We evaluate this cocycle explicitly using the machinery of Poisson $\sigma$-models. In this approach the GWZW model is reformulated as a Schwarz type topological theory so that the action does not depend on the world-sheet metric. The equivalence of this new formulation to the original one is proved for genus one and conjectured for an arbitrary genus Riemann surface. As a by-product we discover a new way to explain the appearance of Quantum Groups in the WZW model.