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4 - Elementary processes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2012

Lowell S. Brown
Affiliation:
University of Washington
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Summary

The preceding chapter showed that the coupling constant must be renormalized. In the present chapter we shall describe, to lowest order in the coupling, the other basic or elementary processes that give divergent results. These divergencies are compensated by renormalizing other parameters of the theory, the mass and field strength. To render the theory completely well defined, another renormalization is needed — the addition of an (infinite) constant Λ0 to the Lagrange function. This constant corresponds to an infinite renormalization of the “zero-point energy” — in rough terms, to zeroth order in the coupling, the field theory corresponds to an infinite collection of harmonic oscillators with the a-th oscillator having a zero-point or ground state energy given by ½ωa, and the sum Σa½ωa diverges. Higher order terms in the coupling give additional zero-point divergencies. This divergence was previously hidden in a re-definition of the measure [dϕ]. However, the divergence depends upon the scalar field's mass, and it is best to define the functional integral, and thereby the theory, in a mass-independent fashion. This requires that the zero-point divergence be displayed explicitly. Moreover, when gravitational couplings are introduced into theory, this additional constant in the Lagrange function appears as a contribution to the “cosmological constant” Λ0. The exceedingly small value of this constant on the scale set by elementary particles is an outstanding problem in contemporary physics, and this puzzle further motivates our discussion of Λ0.

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Quantum Field Theory , pp. 192 - 219
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1992

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  • Elementary processes
  • Lowell S. Brown, University of Washington
  • Book: Quantum Field Theory
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622649.005
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  • Elementary processes
  • Lowell S. Brown, University of Washington
  • Book: Quantum Field Theory
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622649.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Elementary processes
  • Lowell S. Brown, University of Washington
  • Book: Quantum Field Theory
  • Online publication: 05 August 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511622649.005
Available formats
×