Operator product expansions in conformally covariant quantum field theory

Abstract

Operator products in quantum field theory on two-dimensional Minkowski space are expanded into a series of local operators by means of the tensor product decomposition theorem for representations of the conformal group. The Thirring model is used as an explicit example. Two types of expansions result. If the operator product acts on the vacuum state, we obtain strictly covariant expansions. In general however, each term in the expansion is only semicovariant.