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Quantization of free real scalar massless field in 2d

Physics Asked on April 3, 2021

Is there a reference to literature where one explicitly constructs quantization of the free real scalar massless field in the 2-dimensional space-time? In particular, how the propagator looks like?

The 4d case is treated in many standard textbooks in QFT, but the 2d case seems to be different due to extra divergences which do not exist in higher dimensions.

For example, using the equation $Box_x langle Tphi(x)phi(y)rangle=delta^{(2)}(x-y)$ and the analogy with the 4d case (the Feynman rule) one might expect that the propagator should be proportional to $$frac{1}{p^2+ivarepsilon}=frac{1}{(p_0)^2-(p_1)^2+ivarepsilon}.$$
However in 2d this generalized function is not well defined, i.e. it diverges as $varepsilon to +0$ (even its imaginary part diverges).

ADD: Let’s prove the above claim that the imaginary part diverges. We have
$$Imleft(frac{1}{p^2+ivarepsilon}right)=frac{1}{2i}left(frac{1}{p^2+ivarepsilon}-frac{1}{p^2-ivarepsilon}right)=-frac{varepsilon}{(p^2)^2+varepsilon^2}.$$
Let $phi(p)$ be a smooth non-negative function which equals to 1 in the unit ball and vanishes outside some larger ball. Then
begin{eqnarray*}
-int dp^2Imleft(frac{1}{p^2+ivarepsilon}right)cdot phi(p)=int d^2p frac{varepsilon}{(p^2)^2+varepsilon^2}cdot phi(p)=int d^2p frac{1}{(p^2)^2+1}cdot phi(sqrt{varepsilon}p),
end{eqnarray*}
where the last equality is obtained by the change of variables $pmapsto sqrt{varepsilon}p$. As $varepsilonto +0$, the last integral becomes at least

begin{eqnarray}
int d^2p frac{1}{(p^2)^2+1}.
end{eqnarray}
Let us show that this is infinite. Let’s make change of variables $x=p_0-p^1,, y=p_0+p_1$. Then the last integral is
$$frac{1}{2}int dxdyfrac{1}{(xy)^2+1}=frac{1}{2} int dyint frac{dx}{(xy)^2+1}=frac{1}{2} int dy frac{1}{|y|}left(int frac{dz}{z^2+1}right)=infty,$$
where the second equality is obtained by the change of variables x=z/|y|$.
The result is proven.

One Answer

I was able to find an answer to my question in literature. The reference is: A.S. Wightman, "Introduction to some aspects of quantizes fields", in "Lectures notes, Cargese Summer School, 1964".

At the bottom of p. 204 Wightman writes ".. there is no such mathematical object as a free scalar field of mass zero in two-dimensional space-time unless one of the usual assumptions is abandoned." Than he shows that one may abandon the assumption of positivity of scalar product in Hilbert space, and he constructs quantization of the free massless scalar field in a "Hilbert" space with indefinite metric.

Let me repeat the argument explaining the above quotation. Let $phi(x)$ be such a field. Consider the function $langle 0|phi(x)phi(y)|0rangle equiv F(x-y)$. It satisfies $Box F=0$. Its Fourier trnsform $tilde F$ is a Lorentz invariant distribution satisfying $p^2tilde F(p)=0$ and supported on $p^0geq 0$. Hence $tilde F$ is supported on the union of two half-lines ${p_0=p_1, p_0geq 0}$ and ${p_0=-p_1, p_0geq 0}$. Moreover if the scalar product is positive definite then $tilde F$ is a non-negative measure. However one can show that any non-negative Lorentz invariant measure which is supported on the above two half-lines must be proportional to $delta^{(2)}(p)$. That means that $F(x-y)=const$.

Finally let me add that I have found yet another source (which I have not studied in detail) where the authors apparently claim that one can quantize the free massless scalar field in 2d if one does keep the positive definiteness of the scalar product, but abandons the assumption that the vacuum vector has finite norm. See Bogolyubov, Logunov, Oksak, Todorov "General principles of QFT", Section 11.1.

Answered by MKO on April 3, 2021

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