A master functional for quantum field theory

Abstract

We study a new generating functional of one-particle irreducible diagrams in quantum field theory, called master functional, which is invariant under the most general perturbative changes of field variables. The usual functional Gamma does not behave as a scalar under the transformation law inherited from its very definition as the Legendre transform of W = ln Z, although it does behave as a scalar under an unusual transformation law. The master functional, on the other hand, is the Legendre transform of an improved functional W with respect to the sources coupled to both elementary and composite fields. The inclusion of certain improvement terms in W and Z is necessary to make the new Legendre transform well defined. The master functional behaves as a scalar under the transformation law inherited from its very definition. Moreover, it admits a proper formulation, obtained extending the set of integrated fields to so-called proper fields, which allows us to work without passing through Z, W or Gamma. In the proper formulation the classical action coincides with the classical limit of the master functional, and correlation functions and renormalization are calculated applying the usual diagrammatic rules to the proper fields. Finally, the most general change of field variables, including the map relating bare and renormalized fields, is a linear redefinition of the proper fields.