Intellectually Curious

Ghosts in Gauge Theories: The Good, the Bad, and the Goldstone


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Join us as we untangle the mathematical ‘ghosts’ of quantum field theory—from Faddeev–Popov ghosts that preserve gauge symmetry to Goldstone modes that become W and Z bosons, and the troublesome negative-norm states that threaten unitarity and causality. A clear, accessible tour of why these unphysical states matter for regularization, mass generation, and the foundations of physics.


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Intellectually CuriousBy Mike Breault