The Role of Operator Ordering in Quantum Field Theory

Abstract

We study the role of operator ordering in quantum field theory. Operator ordering techniques discussed in our previous papers in the quantum mechanical context are extended to field theory. In this case formally infinite terms appear which must be given a meaning in the framework of some definite regularization scheme. Different orderings for the non­ commuting operators in the interaction Hamiltonian lead in general to different expressions for the Dyson-Wick expansion of the S-matrix, implying different Feynman rules. Different orderings correspond to different assignments for the initially undetermined values of the contractions occurring in closed-loop diagrams. Combining a special class of ordering schemes (u-ordering, a generalization of Weyl-ordering) with dimensional regularization leads to important simplifications, and in this case manipulations in which ordering complications are neglected may be justified. We use our methods to discuss gauge invariance in scalar electrodynamics, and the equivalence theorem for a reducible field theoretical model.