Meaning of the BRS Lagrangian theory

A simplified treatment of the Becchi-Rouet-Stora (BRS) Lagrangian theory is presented. With this treatment we show that the BRS Lagrangian theory in general, and the Feynman-gauge field theory in particular, are effective theories, not the physical theory, and the Feynman gauge is not, strictly speaking, a gauge. The relationship between the quantum states in the BRS Lagrangian theory and those in the physical theory is explicitly given. We also show that one may obtain matrix elements of gauge-invariant operators in the physical theory by calculating corresponding ones in the BRS Lagrangian theory. The formulas which equate such matrix elements are called correspondence formulas. The correspondence formula for the $S$ matrix enables us to equate the scattering amplitudes in the physical theory with those in the BRS Lagrangian theory, thus a proof of the unitary of the Feynman-gauge (as well as other covariant gauges) Feynman rules is rendered unnecessary. This treatment can be applied to various gauge field theories and the examples of the pure Yang-Mills theory and a gauge field theory with a Higgs field is explicitly worked out.