Geometric Relational Framework for General‐Relativistic Gauge Field Theories

Abstract It is recalled how relationality arises as the core insight of general‐relativistic gauge field theories from the articulation of the generalized hole and point‐coincidence arguments. Hence, a compelling case for a manifestly relational framework ensues naturally. A formulation for such a framework is proposed, based on a significant development of the dressing field method of symmetry reduction. A version for the group of automorphisms of a principal bundle over a manifold is first developed, as it is the most natural and elegant, and as hosts all the mathematical structures relevant to general‐relativistic gauge field theory. However, as the standard formulation is local, on , the relational framework for local field theory is then developed. The generalized point‐coincidence argument is manifestly implemented, whereby the physical field‐theoretical degrees of freedoms co‐define each other and define, coordinatize, the physical spacetime itself. Applying the framework to General Relativity, relational Einstein equations are obtained, encompassing various notions of “scalar coordinatization” à la Kretschmann–Komar and Brown–Kuchař.