Dependence of Physical Interpretations on the Choiceof Electromagnetic Gauge

摘要

The principle of gauge invariance requires that the values of physically measurable quantities willbe preserved upon changing the gauge in which electromagnetic quantities are expressed. It is emphasizedhere that physical interpretations do not depend only on laboratory measurables, but also upon other quan-tities that are altered by a gauge transformation. It is shown by a variety of simple examples that differentgauges can lead to major changes in physical interpretations even though the electromagnetic fields are unal-tered. The usual hypothesis that the radiation gauge (also known as the Coulomb gauge) is the "physical"gauge, in the sense that it meets the expectations of a laboratory interpretation, is supported by the variouscases considered.