On the mathematical sense of renormalization

Abstract

We place the renormalization procedure in quantum field theory into the familiar mathematical context of quantization of Poisson algebras. The Poisson algebra in question is the algebra of classical field theory Hamiltonians constructed in a previous paper (arXiv:1008.3333). Its quantum deformations presumably contain (non-canonically) the algebra of functional differential operators. We explain that this picture contains renormalization as a natural ingredient.