Electromagnetic current correlations in reduced quantum electrodynamics

Abstract

We consider a theory of massless reduced quantum electrodynamics (RQED$_{d_\gamma,d_e}$), e.g., a quantum field theory where the U(1) gauge field lives in $d_\gamma$-spacetime dimensions while the fermionic field lives in a reduced spacetime of $d_e$ dimensions ($d_e \leqslant d_\gamma$). In the case where $d_\gamma=4$ such RQEDs are renormalizable while they are super-renormalizable for $d_\gamma <4$. The 2-loop electromagnetic current correlation function is computed exactly for a general RQED$_{d_\gamma,d_e}$. Focusing on RQED$_{4,3}$, the corresponding $\beta$-function is shown to vanish which implies the scale invariance of the theory. Interaction correction to the 1-loop vacuum polarization, $\Pi_1$, of RQED$_{4,3}$ is found to be: $\Pi = \Pi_1 (1 + 0.056 \al)$ where $\al$ is the fine structure constant. The scaling dimension of the fermion field is computed at 1-loop and is shown to be anomalous for RQED$_{4,3}$.