Operator ordering and Feynman rules in gauge theories

Abstract
The ordering of operators in the Yang-Mills Hamiltonian is determined for the V0=0 gauge and for a general noncovariant gauge χ(Vi)=0, with χ a linear function of the spatial components of the gauge field Vμ. We show that a Cartesian ordering of the V0=0 gauge Hamiltonian defines a quantum theory equivalent to that of the usual, covariant-gauge Feynman rules. However, a straightforward change of variables reduces this V0=0 gauge Hamiltonian to a χ(Vi)=0 gauge Hamiltonian with an unconventional operator ordering. The resulting Hamiltonian theory, when translated into Feynman graphs, is shown to imply new nonlocal interactions, even in the familiar Coulomb gauge.

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