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0 answers
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How does locality on space time manifold M put constraints on functions on configuration space of fields?

I am reading David Skinner's notes on AQFT. In Chapter 1 page 3, he mentioned that "purely from the point of view of functions on $C$, locality on $M$ is actually a very strong restriction", ...
Kuro_'s user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
1 answer
78 views

Are field theories where free energy density depends on 2nd-order derivative non-local?

It is accepted that infinite order of derivatives in field theory lead to non-local effects while finite number of them local. reference within physics stack exchange Let’s take a lattice with next-...
Sudipta Nayak's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
101 views

Understanding this abstract Lagrangian of effective field theory

I'm learning Wilson's approach to renormalization and the Effective Field Theory. Typically, the theory is defined by a Lagrangian valid up to some scale $Λ$. I saw these two definitions for 4-...
IGY's user avatar
  • 1,783
2 votes
1 answer
87 views

Locality and local gauge invariance

I was reading this question on the Physics Stack Exchange, and I'm still not quite sure how I can understand the relationship between locality and local gauge invariance using this example. Consider ...
IGY's user avatar
  • 1,783
3 votes
2 answers
692 views

Why does one work with the Lagrangian density in field theory?

Why is it necessary to introduce the Lagrangian density (integral of the Lagrangian over volume) when describing the dynamics of fields? Is there a specific reason for that or just for convenience?
StackExchanger's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
94 views

How constraint to first-order derivative in Lagrangian is a consequence of demand to get local theory?

In Physics From Symmetry Section 4.2 Restriction, the Author said that It is sometimes claimed that the constraint to first-order derivatives is a consequence of our demand to get a local theory, but ...
Young Kindaichi's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
100 views

On the computation of functionals in QFT

Using the Gaussian (path)-integral $$ \int \mathcal{D}\eta e^{i\int_{t_i}^{t_f} dt \eta(t) O(t) \eta(t)} = N [\operatorname{det} O(t)]^{-1/2} $$ my book claims that we can compute the following ...
user2820579's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
259 views

Non-analytic functions and non-local Lagrangians

Infinite sums of increasingly higher-order derivatives, when present in Lagrangians, are typically taken as a sign of nonlocality. This is supposed to rule out fractional, negative and exotic (for ...
Retracted's user avatar
  • 519
3 votes
0 answers
64 views

Lattice differentiation and Locality

Assume we define the locality of a theory in the following way: Assume we have a theory of real scalars, so this theory is non local if the action has terms like $$\int d^dx\,\phi(x)V(x-y)\phi(y).$$ ...
physshyp's user avatar
  • 1,369
1 vote
1 answer
428 views

QFTs without Lagrangian

I have been reading other questions in this site, but I have not found answers to all my questions about theories without Lagrangians. What do we mean exactly when we say that they do not have a ...
edmateosg's user avatar
  • 431
4 votes
2 answers
165 views

What is locality?

In QFT and statistical mechanics, one is usually interested in studying integrals of the form: $$Z(\phi) =\int d\mu_{C}(\phi')e^{-V(\phi+\phi')}$$ where $\mu_{C}$ is Gaussian measure with mean zero ...
JustWannaKnow's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
200 views

Why does the Lagrangian Density have to be a polynomial of the field?

In a lecture, a professor appeared to have said that the Lagrangian can only contain terms that have powers of $\phi$ and a term with $\partial_\mu \partial^\mu \phi$ . I imagine this would make any ...
John K's user avatar
  • 305
4 votes
0 answers
81 views

Decomposition of rank-2 field and local interactions

Any rank-2 tensor can be decomposed in the following way $$ \phi_{\mu\nu} =\phi_{\mu\nu}^{TT} + \partial_{(\mu}\xi_{\nu)} +\frac{1}{4}T_{\mu\nu}s+\frac{1}{4}L_{\mu\nu}(w-3s) $$ where $\phi_{\mu\nu}^{...
apt45's user avatar
  • 2,197
3 votes
3 answers
543 views

Infinite derivatives, Locality and Lagrangian

Providing the derivative of a single valued function $f(x)$ is like providing its value at two infinitesimally close points. My question consists of two parts: Can Higher derivatives be thought of as ...
Tushar Gopalka's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
150 views

Under what circumstances is the functional derivative (of an action functional) an actual function?

In general, for a functional $F[\phi]$, the functional derivative is $$\frac{\delta F[\phi]}{\delta \phi} [f(x)] = \lim_{\varepsilon \to 0} \frac{F[\phi + \varepsilon f ] - F[\phi]}{\varepsilon}$$ ...
Slereah's user avatar
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