Photon propagation function: spectral analysis of its asymptotic form

Area of Science:

• Theoretical physics
• Quantum field theory
• Particle physics

Background:

• Traditional renormalized, perturbative, operator field theory faces challenges in describing asymptotic behavior.
• Physical consistency is a crucial guiding principle in theoretical physics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply source theory to analyze the asymptotic behavior of the photon propagation function.
• To reinterpret the Gell-Mann-Low equation within the framework of source theory.
• To explore the implications of the source theory viewpoint on fundamental concepts like 'bare charge'.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the spectral representation of the photon propagation function.
• Employing an equivalent phase representation.
• Applying the guiding principle of elementary consistency for immeasurable physical parameters.

Main Results:

• The Gell-Mann-Low equation is recovered and its function is physically interpreted as the spectral weight function.
• A crude inequality is established for the spectral weight function, aiding interpolation.
• The source theory's rejection of a "bare charge" is discussed.

Conclusions:

• Source theory provides a physically intuitive and consistent alternative for analyzing quantum field phenomena.
• The spectral weight function plays a key role in understanding the behavior of the photon propagation function across different mass scales.
• This work highlights the potential of source theory to offer new insights into fundamental physics.