Axiomatic quantum field theory is a mathematical discipline which aims to describe
quantum field theory
In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles and ...
in terms of rigorous axioms. It is strongly associated with
functional analysis
Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (e.g. inner product, norm, topology, etc.) and the linear functions defi ...
and
operator algebra
In functional analysis, a branch of mathematics, an operator algebra is an algebra of continuous linear operators on a topological vector space, with the multiplication given by the composition of mappings.
The results obtained in the study of ...
s, but has also been studied in recent years from a more geometric and functorial perspective.
There are two main challenges in this discipline. First, one must propose a set of axioms which describe the general properties of any mathematical object that deserves to be called a "quantum field theory". Then, one gives rigorous mathematical constructions of examples satisfying these axioms.
Analytic approaches
Wightman axioms
The first set of axioms for quantum field theories, known as the
Wightman axioms
In mathematical physics, the Wightman axioms (also called Gårding–Wightman axioms), named after Arthur Wightman, are an attempt at a mathematically rigorous formulation of quantum field theory. Arthur Wightman formulated the axioms in the ear ...
, were proposed by
Arthur Wightman
Arthur Strong Wightman (March 30, 1922 – January 13, 2013) was an American mathematical physicist. He was one of the founders of the axiomatic approach to quantum field theory, and originated the set of Wightman axioms. With his rigorous treatm ...
in the early 1950s. These axioms attempt to describe QFTs on flat Minkowski spacetime by regarding quantum fields as operator-valued distributions acting on a Hilbert space. In practice, one often uses the Wightman reconstruction theorem, which guarantees that the operator-valued distributions and the Hilbert space can be recovered from the collection of
correlation functions.
Osterwalder–Schrader axioms
The correlation functions of a QFT satisfying the Wightman axioms often can be
analytically continued
In complex analysis, a branch of mathematics, analytic continuation is a technique to extend the domain of definition of a given analytic function. Analytic continuation often succeeds in defining further values of a function, for example in a ne ...
from
Lorentz signature
In mathematics, the signature of a metric tensor ''g'' (or equivalently, a real quadratic form thought of as a real symmetric bilinear form on a finite-dimensional vector space) is the number (counted with multiplicity) of positive, negative an ...
to
Euclidean signature. (Crudely, one replaces the time variable
with imaginary time
the factors of
change the sign of the time-time components of the metric tensor.) The resulting functions are called
Schwinger functions. For the Schwinger functions there is a list of conditions —
analyticity,
permutation symmetry,
Euclidean covariance, and
reflection positivity — which a set of functions defined on various powers of Euclidean space-time must satisfy in order to be the analytic continuation of the set of correlation functions of a QFT satisfying the Wightman axioms.
Haag–Kastler axioms
The
Haag–Kastler axioms axiomatize QFT in terms of nets of algebras.
Euclidean CFT axioms
These axioms (see e.g.
) are used in the
conformal bootstrap
The conformal bootstrap is a non-perturbative mathematical method to constrain and solve Conformal field theory, conformal field theories, i.e. models of particle physics or statistical physics that exhibit similar properties at different levels of ...
approach to
conformal field theory
A conformal field theory (CFT) is a quantum field theory that is invariant under conformal transformations. In two dimensions, there is an infinite-dimensional algebra of local conformal transformations, and conformal field theories can sometime ...
in
. They are also referred to as Euclidean bootstrap axioms.
See also
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Dirac–von Neumann axioms
In mathematical physics, the Dirac–von Neumann axioms give a mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics in terms of operators on a Hilbert space. They were introduced by Paul Dirac in 1930 and John von Neumann in 1932.
Hilbert space formulat ...
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Axiomatic Quantum Field Theory
Quantum field theory