Questions tagged [quantum-field-theory]

Quantum Field Theory (QFT) is the theoretical framework describing the quantisation of classical fields which allows a Lorentz-invariant formulation of quantum mechanics. QFT is used both in high energy physics as well as condensed matter physics and closely related to statistical field theory. Use this tag for many-body quantum-mechanical problems and the theory of particle physics. Don’t combine with the [quantum-mechanics] tag.

When to Use This Tag

covers the theoretical description of many-body systems (such as fermionic gases in condensed matter) and high-energy physics/particle physics, starting from a given Lagrangian or Hamiltonian. You might hence also/only want to tag your question as or , depending on your background. As QFT allows for a Lorentz-invariant formulation of quantum mechanics, and go well with . If your question is about QFT in a curved background, you should use .

Some major topics in QFT are , , , , , , , etc. Use these tags (or any other one that is relevant to your question) together with to increase the chances for experts in a particular topic to see your post.


Avoid tagging a question as both and ; the same is true for and , which are meant for the classical mechanics' application of these formalisms.

The quantum field theories most worked on are special relativistic and are sometimes known as relativistic quantum field theories, although it is more common to simply call it . Examples of Relativistic QFTs include the following:

The latter, the Standard Model of Particle Physics, describes all experimentally known fundamental interactions (bosonic fields) and fermionic fields, except for gravity, which is classically described by . Questions concerning the quantum mechanical aspects of gravity should be tagged with .

One of the major needs for theories like is precisely this shortcoming of the standard model. Other needs include the vastly large number of dimensionless constants, the need for renormalization, etc.

Many Quantum Field Theories, including the are worked out perturbatively. You may use to tag questions that are about the non-perturbative aspects of QFT.

Contrary to a popular myth, quantum field theory can be formulated on a curved spacetime, but clearly, then, gravity would still be classical.

Prerequisites to learn Quantum Field Theory:

Phys: Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics (and all its math-phys prerequisites); Analytical Mechanics; Special Relativity (SR); Classical Electrodynamics; Classical Field Theory; Lagrangian formalism and action principles; Dirac Equation; Grassmann Algebras and Berezin Integration; Continuum Mechanics.

Math: Variational Calculus; Lie Groups, Lie Algebras and their representation theory; Functional Analysis and Operator Theory: Maybe also: Spectral theory for unbounded operators; Distribution theory.

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Why do we not have spin greater than 2?

It is commonly asserted that no consistent, interacting quantum field theory can be constructed with fields that have spin greater than 2 (possibly with some allusion to renormalization). I've also seen (see Bailin and Love, Supersymmetry) that we…
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Gauge symmetry is not a symmetry?

I have read before in one of Seiberg's articles something like, that gauge symmetry is not a symmetry but a redundancy in our description, by introducing fake degrees of freedom to facilitate calculations. Regarding this I have a few questions: Why…
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Is anti-matter matter going backwards in time?

Some sources describe antimatter as just like normal matter, but "going backwards in time". What does that really mean? Is that a good analogy in general, and can it be made mathematically precise? Physically, how could something move backwards in…
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Does the $\frac{4}{3}$ problem of classical electromagnetism remain in quantum mechanics?

In Volume II Chapter $28$ of the Feymann Lectures on Physics, Feynman discusses the infamous $\frac43$ problem of classical electromagnetism. Suppose you have a charged particle of radius $a$ and charge $q$ (uniformly distributed on the surface). If…
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Superfields and the Inconsistency of regularization by dimensional reduction

Question: How can you show the inconsistency of regularization by dimensional reduction in the $\mathcal{N}=1$ superfield approach (without reducing to components)? Background and some references: Regularization by dimensional reduction (DRed) was…
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What is the actual significance of the amplituhedron?

The news that physicists have discovered a geometrical object that simplifies a lot our models of quantum physics has recently became viral. For an outsider like me, it is difficult to actually understand the significance of this finding. Is it…
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Classical and quantum anomalies

I have read about anomalies in different contexts and ways. I would like to read an explanation that unified all these statements or points of view: Anomalies are due to the fact that quantum field theories (and maybe quantum mechanical theories…
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What is more fundamental, fields or particles?

My confusion about quantum theory is twofold: I lack an adequate understanding of how the mathematics of quantum theory is supposed to correspond to phenomena in the physical world I still have an incomplete picture in my mind of how cause and…
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What is a complete book for introductory quantum field theory?

There's a fairly standard two or three-semester curriculum for introductory quantum field theory, which covers topics such as: classical field theory background canonical quantization, path integrals the Dirac field quantum electrodynamics computing…
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Quantum Field Theory from a mathematical point of view

I'm a student of mathematics with not much background in physics. I'm interested in learning Quantum field theory from a mathematical point of view. Are there any good books or other reference material which can help in learning about quantum field…
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Is there a symmetry associated to the conservation of information?

Conservation of information seems to be a deep physical principle. For instance, Unitarity is a key concept in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory. We may wonder if there is an underlying symmetry, in some space, which may explain this…
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Why treat complex scalar field and its complex conjugate as two different fields?

I am new to QFT, so I may have some of the terminology incorrect. Many QFT books provide an example of deriving equations of motion for various free theories. One example is for a complex scalar field: $$\mathcal{L}_\text{compl…
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Why not use the Lagrangian, instead of the Hamiltonian, in nonrelativistic QM?

Undergraduate classical mechanics introduces both Lagrangians and Hamiltonians, while undergrad quantum mechanics seems to only use the Hamiltonian. But particle physics, and more generally quantum field theory seem to only use the Lagrangian, e.g.…
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Why isn't Higgs coupling considered a fifth fundamental force?

When I first learned about the four fundamental forces of nature, I assumed that they were just the only four kind of interactions there were. But after learning a little field theory, there are many other kinds of couplings, even in the standard…
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What's the physical meaning of the statement that "photons don't have positions"?

It's been mentioned elsewhere on this site that one cannot define a position operator for the one-photon sector of the quantized electromagnetic field, if one requires the position operator have certain formal properties. This is a theorem that…
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