Self-interacting, boson, quantum, field theory and the thermodynamic limit in d dimensions

Abstract

By use of a finite volume, lattice approximation, we set up an approximation to the analytic continuation of a polynomial, self-interacting boson quantum field theory from Minkowski space to Euclidean space. The infinite volume limit for various boundary conditions is shown to exist and to be asymptotic to the perturbation expansion in the coupling constant g at g=0. For g:φ4:d theory we prove mass renormalizability and show how, by use of Nelson’s reconstruction theorem, the corresponding Minkowski space quantum field theory can be obtained. We discuss, at least for d?4, how statistical mechanical techniques, used to analyze the Ising model in the critical region just above the critical temperature, can be used to compute the properties of quantum field theory.