Perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory Research Articles

An Algebraic QFT Approach to the Wetterich Equation on Lorentzian Manifolds

We discuss the scaling of the effective action for the interacting scalar quantum field theory on generic spacetimes with Lorentzian signature and in a generic state (including vacuum and thermal states, if they exist). This is done constructing a flow equation, which is very close to the renown Wetterich equation, by means of techniques recently developed in the realm of perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field theory (pAQFT). The key ingredient that allows one to obtain an equation which is meaningful on generic Lorentzian backgrounds is the use of a local regulator, which keeps the theory covariant. As a proof of concept, the developed methods are used to show that non-trivial fixed points arise in quantum field theories in a thermal state and in the case of quantum fields in the Bunch–Davies state on the de Sitter spacetime.

Equilibrium states for the massive Sine-Gordon theory in the Lorentzian signature

In this paper we investigate the massive Sine-Gordon model in the ultraviolet finite regime in thermal states over the two-dimensional Minkowski spacetime. We combine recently developed methods of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory with techniques developed in the realm of constructive quantum field theory over Euclidean spacetimes to construct the correlation functions of the equilibrium state of the Sine-Gordon theory in the adiabatic limit. First of all, the observables of the Sine-Gordon theory are seen as functionals over the free configurations and are obtained as a suitable combination of the S−matrices of the interaction Lagrangian restricted to compact spacetime regions over the free massive theory. These S−matrices are given as power series in the coupling constant with values in the algebra of fields over the free massive theory. Adapting techniques like conditioning and inverse conditioning to spacetimes with Lorentzian signature, we prove that these power series converge when evaluated on a generic field configuration. The latter observation implies convergence in the strong operator topology in the GNS representations of the considered states. In the second part of the paper, adapting the cluster expansion technique to the Lorentzian case, we prove that the correlation functions of the interacting equilibrium state at finite temperature (KMS state) can be constructed also in the adiabatic limit, where the interaction Lagrangian is supported everywhere in space.

Lorentzian 2D CFT from the pAQFT Perspective

We provide a detailed construction of the quantum theory of the massless scalar field on two-dimensional, globally hyperbolic (in particular, Lorentzian) manifolds using the framework of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory. From this we obtain subalgebras of observables isomorphic to the Heisenberg and Virasoro algebras on the Einstein cylinder. We also show how the conformal version of general covariance, as first introduced by Pinamonti as an extension of the construction due to Brunetti, Fredenhagen and Verch, may be applied to natural Lagrangians, which allow one to specify a theory consistently across multiple spacetimes, in order to obtain a simple condition for the conformal covariance of classical dynamics, which is then shown to quantise in the case of a quadratic Lagrangian. We then compare the covariance condition for the stress-energy tensor in the classical and quantum theory in order to obtain a transformation law involving the Schwarzian derivative of the new coordinate, in accordance with a well-known result in the Euclidean literature.

Local Nets of Von Neumann Algebras in the Sine\u2013Gordon Model

The Haag–Kastler net of local von Neumann algebras is constructed in the ultraviolet finite regime of the Sine–Gordon model, and its equivalence with the massive Thirring model is proved. In contrast to other authors, we do not add an auxiliary mass term, and we work completely in Lorentzian signature. The construction is based on the functional formalism for perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory together with estimates originally derived within Constructive Quantum Field Theory and adapted to Lorentzian signature. The paper extends previous work by two of us.

Quantum Spacetime and the Universe at the Big Bang, Vanishing Interactions and Fading Degrees of Freedom

As discussed in Bahns et al. (2015) fundamental physical principles suggests that, close to cosmological singularities, the effective Planck length diverges, hence a “quantum point” becomes infinitely extended. We argue that, as a consequence, at the origin of times spacetime might reduce effectively to a single point and interactions disappear. This conclusion is supported by converging evidences in two different approaches to interacting quantum fields on Quantum Spacetime: (1) as the Planck length diverges, the field operators evaluated at a “quantum point” converge to zero, and so do the lowest order expressions for interacting fields in the Yang Feldman approach; (2) in the same limit, we find convergence of the interacting vacuum to the free one at all perturbative orders. The latter result is obtained using the adaptation, performed in Doplicher et al. (2020), of the methods of perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory to Quantum Spacetime, through a novel picture of the effective Lagrangian, which maintains the ultraviolet finiteness of the perturbation expansion and allows one to prove also the existence of the adiabatic limit. It remains an open question whether the S matrix itself converges to unity and whether the limit in which the effective Planck length diverges is a unique initial condition or an unreachable limit, and only different asymptotics matter.

Perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory on Quantum Spacetime: Adiabatic and Ultraviolet Convergence

The quantum structure of Spacetime at the Planck scale suggests the use, in defining interactions between fields, of the Quantum Wick product. The resulting theory is ultraviolet finite, but subject to an adiabatic cutoff in time which seems difficult to remove. We solve this problem here by another strategy: the fields at a point in the interaction Lagrangian are replaced by the fields at a quantum point, described by an optimally localized state on QST; the resulting Lagrangian density agrees with the previous one after spacetime integration, but gives rise to a different interaction hamiltonian. But now the methods of perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory can be applied, and produce an ultraviolet finite perturbation expansion of the interacting observables. If the obtained theory is tested in an equilibrium state at finite temperature the adiabatic cutoff in time becomes immaterial, namely it has no effect on the correlation function at any order in perturbation theory. Moreover, the interacting vacuum state can be obtained in the vanishing temperature limit. It is nevertheless important to stress that the use of states which are optimally localized for a given observer brakes Lorentz invariance at the very beginning.

The star product in interacting quantum field theory

We propose a new formula for the star product in deformation quantization of Poisson structures related in a specific way to a variational problem for a function S, interpreted as the action functional. Our approach is motivated by perturbative algebraic quantum field theory (pAQFT). We provide a direct combinatorial formula for the star product, and we show that it can be applied to a certain class of infinite-dimensional manifolds (e.g. regular observables in pAQFT). This is the first step towards understanding how pAQFT can be formulated such that the only formal parameter is hbar , while the coupling constant can be treated as a number. In the introductory part of the paper, apart from reviewing the framework, we make precise several statements present in the pAQFT literature and recast these in the language of (formal) deformation quantization. Finally, we use our formalism to streamline the proof of perturbative agreement provided by Drago, Hack, and Pinamonti and to generalize some of the results obtained in that work to the case of a nonlinear interaction.

Relating Nets and Factorization Algebras of Observables: Free Field Theories

In this paper we relate two mathematical frameworks that make perturbative quantum field theory rigorous: perturbative algebraic quantum field theory (pAQFT) and the factorization algebras framework developed by Costello and Gwilliam. To make the comparison as explicit as possible, we use the free scalar field as our running example, while giving proofs that apply to any field theory whose equations of motion are Green-hyperbolic (which includes, for instance, free fermions). The main claim is that for such free theories, there is a natural transformation intertwining the two constructions. In fact, both approaches encode equivalent information if one assumes the time-slice axiom. The key technical ingredient is to use time-ordered products as an intermediate step between a net of associative algebras and a factorization algebra.

Locality and causality in perturbative algebraic quantum field theory

In this paper, we discuss how seemingly different notions of locality and causality in quantum field theory can be unified using a non-Abelian generalization of the Hammerstein property (originally introduced as a weaker version of linearity). We also prove a generalization of the main theorem of renormalization, in which we do not require field independence.

Algebraic Structure of Classical Field Theory: Kinematics and Linearized Dynamics for Real Scalar Fields

We describe the elements of a novel structural approach to classical field theory, inspired by recent developments in perturbative algebraic quantum field theory. This approach is local and focuses mainly on the observables over field configurations, given by certain spaces of functionals which are studied here in depth. The analysis of such functionals is characterized by a combination of geometric, analytic and algebraic elements which (1) make our approach closer to quantum field theory, (2) allow for a rigorous analytic refinement of many computational formulae from the functional formulation of classical field theory and (3) provide a new pathway towards understanding dynamics. Particular attention will be paid to aspects related to nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations and their linearizations.

Relative Entropy and Entropy Production for Equilibrium States in pAQFT

We analyze the relative entropy of certain KMS states for scalar self-interacting quantum field theories over Minkowski backgrounds that have been recently constructed by Fredenhagen and Lindner in [FL14] in the framework of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory. The definition we are using is a generalization of the Araki relative entropy to the case of field theories. In particular, we shall see that the analyzed relative entropy is positive in the sense of perturbation theory, hence, even if the relative modular operator is not at disposal in this context, the proposed extension is compatible with perturbation theory. In the second part of the paper we analyze the adiabatic limits of these states showing that also the density of relative entropy obtained dividing the relative entropy by the spatial volume of the region where interaction takes place is positive and finite. In the last part of the paper we discuss the entropy production for states obtained by an ergodic mean (time average) of perturbed KMS states evolved with the free evolution recently constructed by the authors of the present paper. We show that their entropy production vanishes even if return to equilibrium [Ro73, HKT74] does not hold. This means that states constructed in this way are thermodynamically simple, namely they are not so far from equilibrium states.

A Cohomological Perspective on Algebraic Quantum Field Theory

Algebraic quantum field theory is considered from the perspective of the Hochschild cohomology bicomplex. This is a framework for studying deformations and symmetries. Deformation is a possible approach to the fundamental challenge of constructing interacting QFT models. Symmetry is the primary tool for understanding the structure and properties of a QFT model.This perspective leads to a generalization of the algebraic quantum field theory framework, as well as a more general definition of symmetry. This means that some models may have symmetries that were not previously recognized or exploited.To first order, a deformation of a QFT model is described by a Hochschild cohomology class. A deformation could, for example, correspond to adding an interaction term to a Lagrangian. The cohomology class for such an interaction is computed here. However, the result is more general and does not require the undeformed model to be constructed from a Lagrangian. This computation leads to a more concrete version of the construction of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory.

The Quantum Sine-Gordon Model in Perturbative AQFT

We study the Sine-Gordon model with Minkowski signature in the framework of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory. We calculate the vertex operator algebra braiding property. We prove that in the finite regime of the model, the expectation value—with respect to the vacuum or a Hadamard state—of the Epstein Glaser S-matrix and the interacting current or the field respectively converge, both given as formal power series.

Effective quantum gravity observables and locally covariant QFT

Perturbative algebraic quantum field theory (pAQFT) is a mathematically rigorous framework that allows to construct models of quantum field theories (QFTs) on a general class of Lorentzian manifolds. Recently, this idea has been applied also to perturbative quantum gravity (QG), treated as an effective theory. The difficulty was to find the right notion of observables that would in an appropriate sense be diffeomorphism invariant. In this paper, I will outline a general framework that allows to quantize theories with local symmetries (this includes infinitesimal diffeomorphism transformations) with the use of the Batalin–Vilkovisky (BV) formalism. This approach has been successfully applied to effective QG in a recent paper by Brunetti, Fredenhagen and myself. In the same paper, we also proved perturbative background independence of the quantized theory, which is going to be discussed in the present work as well.

Construction of KMS States in Perturbative QFT and Renormalized Hamiltonian Dynamics

We present a general construction of KMS states in the framework of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory (pAQFT). Our approach may be understood as an extension of the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism. We obtain in particular the Wightman functions at positive temperature, thus solving a problem posed some time ago by Steinmann. The notorious infrared divergences observed in a diagrammatic expansion are shown to be absent due to a consequent exploitation of the locality properties of pAQFT. To this avail, we introduce a novel, Hamiltonian description of the interacting dynamics and find, in particular, a precise relation between relativistic QFT and rigorous quantum statistical mechanics.

The Effective Theory of Strings

We show that the Nambu-Goto string, and its higher dimensional generalizations, can be quantized, in the sense of an effective theory, in any dimension of the target space. The crucial point is to consider expansions around classical string configurations. We are using tools from perturbative algebraic quantum field theory, quantum field theory on curved spacetimes, and the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism. Our model has some similarities with the L\"uscher-Weisz string, but we allow for arbitrary classical background string configurations and keep the diffeomorphism invariance.

Remarks on Local Symmetry Invariance in Perturbative Algebraic Quantum Field Theory

We investigate various aspects of invariance under local symmetries in the framework of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory (pAQFT). Our main result is the proof that the quantum Batalin–Vilkovisky operator, on-shell, can be written as the commutator with the interacting BRST charge. Up to now, this was proven only for a certain class of fields in quantum electrodynamics and in Yang–Mills theory. Our result is more general and it holds in a wide class of theories with local symmetries, including general relativity and the bosonic string. We also comment on other issues related to local gauge invariance and, using the language of homological algebra, we compare different approaches to quantization of gauge theories in the pAQFT framework.

FERMIONIC FIELDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO CLASSICAL FIELD THEORY

In this paper, we present a formulation of the classical theory of fermionic (anticommuting) fields, which fits into the general framework proposed by Brunetti, Dütsch and Fredenhagen. It was inspired by the recent developments in perturbative algebraic quantum field theory and it also allows for a deeper structural understanding on the classical level. We propose a modification of this formalism that also allows to treat fermionic fields. In contrast to other formulations of classical theory of anticommuting variables, we do not introduce additional Grassman degrees of freedom. Instead the anticommutativity is introduced in a natural way on the level of functionals. Moreover, our construction incorporates the functional-analytic and topological aspects, which is usually neglected in the treatments of anticommuting fields. We also give an example of an interacting model where our framework can be applied.

Euclidean Epstein–Glaser renormalization

In the framework of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory recently developed by Brunetti, Dütsch, and Fredenhagen (http://arxiv.org/abs/0901.2038) I give a general construction of so-called Euclidean time-ordered products, i.e., algebraic versions of the Schwinger functions, for scalar quantum field theories on spaces of Euclidean signature. This is done by generalizing the recursive construction of time-ordered products by Epstein and Glaser, originally formulated for quantum field theories on Minkowski space [Epstein and Glaser, Ann. Inst. Henri Poincare 19, 211 (1973)]. An essential input of Epstein–Glaser renormalization is the causal structure of Minkowski space. The absence of this causal structure in the Euclidean framework makes it necessary to modify the original construction of Epstein and Glaser at two points. First, the whole construction has to be performed with an only partially defined product on (interaction) functionals. This is due to the fact that the fundamental solutions of the Helmholtz operator (−Δ+m2) of Euclidean quantum field theory have a unique singularity structure, i.e., they are unique up to a smooth part. Second, one needs to (re)introduce a (rather natural) “Euclidean causality” condition for the recursion of Epstein and Glaser to be applicable.

CAUSAL PERTURBATION THEORY IN TERMS OF RETARDED PRODUCTS, AND A PROOF OF THE ACTION WARD IDENTITY

In the framework of perturbative algebraic quantum field theory a local construction of interacting fields in terms of retarded products is performed, based on earlier work of Steinmann [42]. In our formalism the entries of the retarded products are local functionals of the off-shell classical fields, and we prove that the interacting fields depend only on the action and not on terms in the Lagrangian which are total derivatives, thus providing a proof of Stora's "Action Ward Identity" [45]. The theory depends on free parameters which flow under the renormalization group. This flow can be derived in our local framework independently of the infrared behavior, as was first established by Hollands and Wald [32]. We explicitly compute non-trivial examples for the renormalization of the interaction and the field.