An alternative to the horizontality condition in superfield approach to BRST symmetries

We provide an alternative to the gauge covariant horizontality condition which is responsible for the derivation of the nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetry transformations for the gauge and (anti-)ghost fields of a (3 + 1)dimensional (4D) interacting 1-form non-Abelian gauge theory in the framework of the usual superfield approach to Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) formalism. The above covariant horizontality condition is replaced by a gauge invariant restriction on the (4, 2)-dimensional supermanifold, parameterized by a set of four spacetime coordinates x(μ = 0, 1, 2, 3) and a pair of Grassmannian variables θ and θ̄. The latter condition enables us to derive the nilpotent (anti-)BRST symmetry transformations for all the fields of an interacting 1-form 4D non-Abelian gauge theory where there is an explicit coupling between the gauge field and the Dirac fields. The key differences and striking similarities between the above two conditions are pointed out clearly. PACS numbers: 11.15.-q; 12.20.-m; 03.70.+k