Non-integrable Quantum Field Theories as Perturbations of Certain Integrable Models

Abstract

We approach the study of non--integrable models of two--dimensional quantum field theory as perturbations of the integrable ones. By exploiting the knowledge of the exact $S$-matrix and Form Factors of the integrable field theories we obtain the first order corrections to the mass ratios, the vacuum energy density and the $S$-matrix of the non-integrable theories. As interesting applications of the formalism, we study the scaling region of the Ising model in an external magnetic field at $T \sim T_c$ and the scaling region around the minimal model $M_{2,7}$. For these models, a remarkable agreement is observed between the theoretical predictions and the data extracted by a numerical diagonalization of their Hamiltonian.