Chapter 4 Interacting Fields and Feynman Diagrams 4.1 Perturbation Theory—Philosophy and Examples We have now discussed in some detail the quantization of two free field theories that give approximate descriptions of many of the particles found in Nature. Up to this point, however, free-particle states have been eigenstates of the Hamiltonian; we have seen no interactions and no scattering. In order to obtain a closer description of the real world, we must include new, nonlinear terms in the Hamiltonian (or Lagrangian) that will couple different Fourier modes (and the particles that occupy them) to one another. To preserve causality, we insist that the new terms may involve only products of fields at the same spacetime point: [¢(2)]* is fine, but ¢(x)¢(y) is not allowed. Thus the terms describing the interactions will be of the form Higa = [Bx Helo(a\] =~ f de Line[0(e)- For now we restrict ourselves to theories in which Hin, (= —Line) is a function only of the fields, not of their derivatives. Tn this chapter we will discuss three important examples of interacting field theories. The first is “phi-fourth” theory, £= 5(0,0)? ~ mre? — 39 (4) where A is a dimensionless coupling constant. (A ¢° interaction would be a bit simpler, but then the energy would not be positive-definite unless we added a higher even power of @ as well.) Although we are introducing this theory now for purely pedagogical reasons (since it is the simplest of all interacting quantum theories), models of the real world do contain ¢$* interactions; the most important example in particle physics is the self-interaction of the Higgs field in the standard electroweak theory. In Part II, we will see that 44 theory also arises in statistical mechanics. The equation of motion for ¢* theory is (P+ m?)g= 28, (4.2) 17