Deformations of Maxwell gauge field theory

Abstract

Deformations of Maxwell gauge theory are studied in 2+1 dimensions. Unlike in previous work in the literature, no Lagrangian structure is assumed for possible deformations, and instead the requirement of gauge invariance of the deformed field equations under the deformed gauge symmetry is used. The results yield a new nonlinear generalization of Maxwell gauge theory. A non-abelian extension of this theory is also obtained.