Higher order cohomological restrictions on anomalies and counterterms

Abstract

Using a regularization with the properties of dimensional regularization, higher order local consistency conditions on one loop anomalies and divergent counterterms are given. They are derived without any a priori assumption on the form of the BRST cohomology and can be summarized by the statements that (i) the antibracket involving the first order divergent counterterms, respectively the first order anomaly, with any BRST cocycle is BRST exact, (ii) the first order divergent counterterms can be completed into a local deformation of the solution of the master equation and (iii) the first order anomaly can be deformed into a local cocycle of the deformed solution.