BRST Cohomology of N=2 Super-Yang-Mills Theory in 4D

A. Tanzini, O. S. Ventura, L. C. Q. Vilar, S. P. Sorella

Published 1998-11-20, updated 2000-05-19Version 2

The BRST cohomology of the N=2 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions is discussed by making use of the twisted version of the N=2 algebra. By the introduction of a set of suitable constant ghosts associated to the generators of N=2, the quantization of the model can be done by taking into account both gauge invariance and supersymmetry. In particular, we show how the twisted N=2 algebra can be used to obtain in a straightforward way the relevant cohomology classes. Moreover, we shall be able to establish a very useful relationship between the local gauge invariant polynomial $tr\phi^2$ and the complete N=2 Yang-Mills action. This important relation can be considered as the first step towards a fully algebraic proof of the one-loop exactness of the N=2 beta function.