Quantum Noether method

Abstract

We present a general method for constructing perturbative quantum field theories with global symmetries. We start from a free non-interacting quantum field theory with given global symmetries and we determine all perturbative quantum deformations assuming the construction is not obstructed by anomalies. The method is established within the causal Bogoliubov-Shirkov-Epstein-Glaser approach to perturbative quantum field theory (which leads directly to a finite perturbative series and does not rely on an intermediate regularization). Our construction can be regarded as a direct implementation of Noether's method at the quantum level. We illustrate the method by constructing the pure Yang-Mills theory (where the relevant global symmetry is BRST symmetry), and the N = 1 supersymmetric model of Wess and Zumino. The whole construction is done before the so-called adiabatic limit is taken. Thus, all considerations regarding symmetry, unitarity and anomalies are well defined even for massless theories.