Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data . Scharf, G. (Gunter), 1938-Finite quantum electrodynamics: the causal approach / G. Scharf. -2nd ed. p. cm . -(Texts and monographs in physics) Includes bibliographical references and index . ISBN 978-3-642-63345-4 1. Quantum electrodynamics. 2. Quantum field theory. 3. Perturbation (Quantum dynamics) 1.Title.

No abstract

No abstract

In the framework of causal perturbation theory we analyze the gauge structure of a massless self-interacting quantum tensor field. We look at this theory from a pure field theoretical point of view without assuming any geometrical aspect from general relativity. To first order in the perturbation expansion of the S-matrix we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for such a theory to be gauge invariant, by which we mean that the gauge variation of the self-coupling with respect to the gauge charge operator Q is a divergence in the sense of vector analysis. The most general trilinear self-coupling of the graviton field turns out to be the one derived from the Einstein-Hilbert action plus divergences and coboundaries.

No abstract