States and IR divergences in factorization algebras

Abstract

In field theory, one can consider a variety of states. Within the framework of factorization algebras, one typically works with the natural augmentation state $\langle-\rangle_{\rm aug}$. In physics, however, other states arise naturally, such as the compactification state $\langle-\rangle_{\rm cptf}$ or the Schwartz state $\langle-\rangle_{\rm Sch}$, defined by imposing Schwartz boundary conditions. At first sight, the relation among these three states is not obvious. This paper gives a definition of the compactification state in factorization algebras and provides a method for handling infrared divergences in the massless theory. We then prove that the three states are equivalent in both the massive and massless cases.