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Haag’s Theorem and its Implications for the Foundations of Quantum Field Theory

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Abstract

Although the philosophical literature on the foundations of quantum field theory recognizes the importance of Haag’s theorem, it does not provide a clear discussion of the meaning of this theorem. The goal of this paper is to make up for this deficit. In particular, it aims to set out the implications of Haag’s theorem for scattering theory, the interaction picture, the use of non-Fock representations in describing interacting fields, and the choice among the plethora of the unitarily inequivalent representations of the canonical commutation relations for free and interacting fields.

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  1. Department of History and Philosophy and Science, University of Pittsburgh, 1001 Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217, USA

    John Earman & Doreen Fraser

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  1. John Earman
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Correspondence to John Earman.

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Earman, J., Fraser, D. Haag’s Theorem and its Implications for the Foundations of Quantum Field Theory. Erkenntnis 64, 305–344 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-005-5814-y

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