Ultralocal Fields and their Relevance for Reparametrization Invariant Quantum Field Theory

Abstract

Reparametrization invariant theories have a vanishing Hamiltonian and enforce their dynamics through a constraint. We specifically choose the Dirac procedure of quantization before the introduction of constraints. Consequently, for field theories, and prior to the introduction of any constraints, it is argued that the original field operator representation should be ultralocal in order to remain totally unbiased toward those field correlations that will be imposed by the constraints. It is shown that relativistic free and interacting theories can be completely recovered starting from ultralocal representations followed by a careful enforcement of the appropriate constraints. In so doing all unnecessary features of the original ultralocal representation disappear. The present discussion is germane to a recent theory of affine quantum gravity in which ultralocal field representations have been invoked before the imposition of constraints.