Gauge and topological symmetries in the bulk quantization of gauge theories Original Research Article

A gauge theory with 4 physical dimensions can be consistently expressed as a renormalizable topological quantum field theory in 5 dimensions. We extend the symmetries in the 5-dimensional framework to include not only a topological BRST operator s that encodes the invisibility of the “bulk” (the fifth dimension), but also a gauge BRST operator w that encodes gauge-invariance and selects observables. These symmetries provide a rich structure of Ward identities which assure the renormalizability of the theory, including non-renormalization theorems. The 5-dimensional approach considerably simplifies conceptual questions such as for instance the Gribov phenomenon and fermion doubling. A confinement scenario in the 5-dimensional framework is sketched. We detail the five-dimensional mechanism of anomalies, and we exhibit a natural lattice discretization that is free of fermion doubling.