Gribov ambiguity, perturbation theory, and confinement

Abstract

The generating functional proposed for gauge theories by Bender, Eguchi, and Pagels (BEP) is shown to be equivalent to a truncated form of the functional integral, in which only one field configuration from each gauge-equivalent Gribov set contributes to the functional integration. The standard perturbation technique provides a method of realizing this truncation condition. It is shown that any gauge-covariant quantity (such as the quark $N$-point functions), evaluated by perturbating around a field configuration gauge-equivalent to $A=0\mathrm{}$, is related by a gauge transformation to the same quantity evaluated perturbatively around the trivial vacuum. It follows that, contrary to the conclusion of BEP, the existence of degeneracies in the Coulomb gauge-fixing condition (the Gribov ambiguity) is not directly related to the physics of confinement.