Dynamic coarse-graining approach to quantum field theory

Abstract

We build quantum field theory on the thermodynamic master equation for dissipative quantum systems. The vacuum is represented by a thermodynamic equilibrium state in the low-temperature limit. All regularization is consistently provided by a friction mechanism; with decreasing friction parameter, only degrees of freedom on shorter and shorter length scales are damped out of a quantum field theory. No divergent integrals need to be manipulated. Renormalization occurs as a tool to refine perturbation expansions, not to remove divergences. Relativistic covariance is recovered in the final results. We illustrate the proposed thermodynamic approach to quantum fields for the phi^4 theory by calculating the propagator and the beta function, and we offer some suggestions on its application to gauge theories.