
Contents
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14.1 Introduction 14.1 Introduction
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14.2 Some Episodes from the History of Quantum Field Theory 14.2 Some Episodes from the History of Quantum Field Theory
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14.2.1 The First Quantizations of the Electromagnetic Field 14.2.1 The First Quantizations of the Electromagnetic Field
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14.2.2 Attempts at Eliminating the Infinities of Quantum Field Theory 14.2.2 Attempts at Eliminating the Infinities of Quantum Field Theory
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14.2.3 The Physical Meaning of the Zero-Point Energy 14.2.3 The Physical Meaning of the Zero-Point Energy
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14.2.4 The Renormalization Programme 14.2.4 The Renormalization Programme
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14.3 The Quantum Field Measurement 14.3 The Quantum Field Measurement
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14.3.1 The ‘Small War’ over Quantum Fields 14.3.1 The ‘Small War’ over Quantum Fields
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14.3.2 What is the Role of Measurement in Quantum Field Theory? 14.3.2 What is the Role of Measurement in Quantum Field Theory?
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14.3.3 What is the Source of Field Uncertainties? 14.3.3 What is the Source of Field Uncertainties?
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14.3.4 Why Do Calculations Diverge? 14.3.4 Why Do Calculations Diverge?
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14.4 Postwar Pragmatism and its Opponents 14.4 Postwar Pragmatism and its Opponents
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14.4.1 The Acceptance of the Renormalization Programme 14.4.1 The Acceptance of the Renormalization Programme
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14.4.2 The New Mathematical Physics of the 1950s 14.4.2 The New Mathematical Physics of the 1950s
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Acknowledgements Acknowledgements
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References References
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14 The Measuring Process in Quantum Field Theory
Get accessAssistant Professor, Instituto de Matemática, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
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Published:19 May 2022
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Abstract
This chapter discusses the interpretation of quantum field theory from a historical perspective. It pays special attention to the measuring process in quantum electrodynamics, and indicates how this process is related to quantum field uncertainties, to the vacuum energy, and to the divergent calculations. Those aspects reflect, in a broader sense, a plurality of perspectives concerning the proper description of quantum phenomena, to the role of mathematics in quantum theory, and to the predictive power of physical theories. The chapter also presents some episodes from the history of quantum field theory from the 1920s to the 1960s, with an emphasis on the renormalization program of the late 1940s. Finally, it discusses how pragmatism and mathematics shaped the physicists’ views on quantum field theory.
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