Field Quantization Without Divergences

Note: 2:00 PM
Speaker: John Klauder, University of Florida

When: February 15, 2013 (Fri), 02:00PM to 03:00PM (add to my calendar)
Location: PRB 595

This event is part of the HET Seminar Series.

ABSTRACT: Quantum field theoretic computations often result in divergences that are canceled by appropriate counter terms. However, for nonrenormalizable models, this standard approach does not yield satisfactory results. By careful analysis of relevant lattice-regularized functional integrals, the source of the divergences is isolated and rendered harmless by a suitable counter term. The result is a formulation that enjoys divergence-free perturbation expansions as well as nontriviality for models that are trivial when studied by conventional techniques; preliminary Monte Carlo evidence is offered to support the claim of nontriviality. We focus on scalar fields, while generalization to multi-component scalar fields (Higgs-like) is straightforward. Although not discussed, quantum gravity is among potential candidates for a similar transforming analysis.