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Probing the Consistency of Quantum Field Theory I

From Nonconvergence to Haag's Theorem (1949–1954)

Expected online publication date:  22 December 2025

Alexander S. Blum
Affiliation:
Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy and Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Summary

This two-volume Element reconstructs and analyzes the historical debates on whether renormalized quantum field theory is a mathematically consistent theory. This volume covers the years immediately following the development of renormalized quantum electrodynamics. It begins with the realization that perturbation theory cannot serve as the foundation for a proof of consistency, due to the nonconvergence of the perturbation series. Various attempts at a nonperturbative formulation of quantum field theory are discussed, including the Schwinger–Dyson equations, Gunnar Källén's non-perturbative renormalization, the renormalization group of Murray Gell-Mann and Francis Low, and, in the last section, early axiomatic quantum field theory. The volume concludes with the establishment of Haag's theorem, which proved that even the Hilbert space of perturbation theory is an inadequate foundation for a consistent theory. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

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Type
Element
Information
Online ISBN: 9781009265362
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - ND
This content is Open Access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence CC-BY-ND 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/cclicenses/

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Probing the Consistency of Quantum Field Theory I
  • Alexander S. Blum, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy and Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
  • Online ISBN: 9781009265362
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
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Probing the Consistency of Quantum Field Theory I
  • Alexander S. Blum, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy and Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
  • Online ISBN: 9781009265362
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
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Probing the Consistency of Quantum Field Theory I
  • Alexander S. Blum, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy and Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
  • Online ISBN: 9781009265362
Available formats No formats are currently available for this content.
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