Field Theory Done Right

Abstract

An effective formalism for white noise analysis, conceptually equivalent to Wilsonian renormalization theory, is introduced. Space-time gets represented by a boolean lattice of coarse regions, energy scales become space-time partitions by lattice regions, and observables are elements of a projective limit with connecting maps given by partial integration of high-energy degrees of freedom. The framework allows for a seamless generalization of the Wick product and the $\mathcal S$-transform to essentially arbitrary L\'evy noises, and we provide a tool to make explicit calculations in several cases of interest, including Gauss, Poisson and Gamma noises (we shall thereby encounter pretty familiar polynomials, like falling factorials and Hermite polynomials). Armed with this, we turn to constructive quantum field theory. We adopt an Euclidean approach and introduce a sufficient condition for reflection positivity, based on our $\mathcal S$-transform, enabling us to construct non-trivial quantum fields by simply specifying compatible families of effective connected $n$-point functions. We exemplify this by producing a field with quartic interaction in dimension $d\leq 8$. Its connected $n$-point functions vanish except for the propagator and the connected $4$-point function, which is that of the $\phi^4$ field up to order $\hbar$. This model satisfies all the physical requirements of a non-trivial quantum field theory.