Localization via Automorphisms of the CARs: Local Gauge Invariance

The classical matter fields are sections of a vector bundle E with base manifold M, and the space L ²(E) of square integrable matter fields w.r.t. a locally Lebesgue measure on M, has an important module action of C_b^￥(M){C_b^\infty(M)} on it. This module action defines restriction maps and encodes the local structure of the classical fields. For the quantum context, we show that this module action defines an automorphism group on the algebra of the canonical anticommutation relations, CAR(L ²(E)), with which we can perform the analogous localization. That is, the net structure of the CAR(L ²(E)) w.r.t. appropriate subsets of M can be obtained simply from the invariance algebras of appropriate subgroups. We also identify the quantum analogues of restriction maps, and as a corollary, we prove a well–known “folk theorem,” that the CAR(L ²(E)) contains only trivial gauge invariant observables w.r.t. a local gauge group acting on E.