{"paper":{"title":"Schwinger-Keldysh Path Integral for Gauge theories","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"Schwinger-Keldysh path integrals for non-Abelian gauge theories preserve a retarded BRST symmetry for any initial state.","cross_cats":["quant-ph"],"primary_cat":"hep-th","authors_text":"Andrew J. Tolley, Greg Kaplanek, Maria Mylova","submitted_at":"2026-04-29T17:52:04Z","abstract_excerpt":"We develop the Schwinger-Keldysh path-integral formalism for open non-Abelian gauge theories that are gauge-fixed via the BRST method in covariant gauges. We focus on generic initial states, pure and mixed, specified at finite times suitable for non-equilibrium processes. We pay particular attention to the handling of the indefinite Hilbert space, the construction of BRST-invariant Schrodinger picture wavefunctionals, density matrices and inner product, the implementation of the Hata-Kugo prescription, and the role of boundary terms at both the initial and final times. We highlight the advanta"},"claims":{"count":4,"items":[{"kind":"strongest_claim","text":"The resulting Schwinger-Keldysh path integral is manifestly invariant under a diagonal (retarded) BRST symmetry for arbitrary physical initial states, whether pure or mixed. From this, we obtain the corresponding Ward-Takahashi-Slavnov-Taylor identities, valid perturbatively.","source":"verdict.strongest_claim","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C1","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"weakest_assumption","text":"The construction assumes that the indefinite Hilbert space and boundary terms at initial and final times can be handled via the Hata-Kugo prescription and Nakanishi-Lautrup fields without introducing inconsistencies for generic mixed states; non-perturbative Gribov ambiguity is acknowledged to potentially break the symmetry but is set aside.","source":"verdict.weakest_assumption","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C2","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"one_line_summary","text":"A manifestly BRST-invariant Schwinger-Keldysh path integral is derived for non-Abelian gauge theories with generic initial states, enabling perturbative Ward-Takahashi-Slavnov-Taylor identities and Open EFT expansions that preserve a contracted Keldysh BRST symmetry.","source":"verdict.one_line_summary","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C3","attestation":"unclaimed"},{"kind":"headline","text":"Schwinger-Keldysh path integrals for non-Abelian gauge theories preserve a retarded BRST symmetry for any initial state.","source":"verdict.pith_extraction.headline","status":"machine_extracted","claim_id":"C4","attestation":"unclaimed"}],"snapshot_sha256":"e1005b9f2bb1690faabeb99abc8d45340d71e24add22c7cdd7439747d7eb14b4"},"source":{"id":"2604.26941","kind":"arxiv","version":2},"verdict":{"id":"e077c630-8b0e-45f9-9ac1-25c0a7659772","model_set":{"reader":"grok-4.3"},"created_at":"2026-05-07T08:28:29.902238Z","strongest_claim":"The resulting Schwinger-Keldysh path integral is manifestly invariant under a diagonal (retarded) BRST symmetry for arbitrary physical initial states, whether pure or mixed. From this, we obtain the corresponding Ward-Takahashi-Slavnov-Taylor identities, valid perturbatively.","one_line_summary":"A manifestly BRST-invariant Schwinger-Keldysh path integral is derived for non-Abelian gauge theories with generic initial states, enabling perturbative Ward-Takahashi-Slavnov-Taylor identities and Open EFT expansions that preserve a contracted Keldysh BRST symmetry.","pipeline_version":"pith-pipeline@v0.9.0","weakest_assumption":"The construction assumes that the indefinite Hilbert space and boundary terms at initial and final times can be handled via the Hata-Kugo prescription and Nakanishi-Lautrup fields without introducing inconsistencies for generic mixed states; non-perturbative Gribov ambiguity is acknowledged to potentially break the symmetry but is set aside.","pith_extraction_headline":"Schwinger-Keldysh path integrals for non-Abelian gauge theories preserve a retarded BRST symmetry for any initial state."},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2604.26941/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[{"name":"ai_meta_artifact","ran_at":"2026-05-20T23:36:30.523383Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0},{"name":"doi_compliance","ran_at":"2026-05-19T19:41:42.688847Z","status":"completed","version":"1.0.0","findings_count":0}],"snapshot_sha256":"5f805e44b94e60684830e760e492b4bcc7d5ae99d8d990bebb87de63529a0b59"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}