Large gauge transformation

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Let's say we have a topological space M and a topological group G and a principal G-bundle over M. A global section of this principal bundle is a gauge fixing and the process of replacing one section by another is a gauge transformation. If a gauge transformation isn't homotopic to the identity, we call it a large gauge transformation.

In theoretical physics, M is often a manifold and G is a Lie group.

See also large diffeomorphism, global anomaly