Effective field theories
In R. Batterman (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Physics. Oxford Univ Press (forthcoming)
| Abstract | An effective field theory (EFT) of a physical system is a theory of the dynamics of the system at energies small compared to a given cutoff. For some systems, low-energy states with respect to this cutoff are effectively independent of ("decoupled from") states at high energies. Hence one may study the low-energy sector of the theory without the need for a detailed description of the high-energy sector. Systems that admit EFTs appear in both relativistic quantum field theory (RQFT) and condensed matter physics. In some cases, the high-energy theory is known and the effective theory may be obtained by a process in which high-energy effects are systematically eliminated. In other cases, the high-energy theory may not be known, and the effective theory may then be obtained by imposing symmetry and "naturalness" constraints on candidate Langrangians. Many physicists currently believe that the Standard Model of particle physics is an example of such a bottom-up EFT. In both cases, the nature of the intertheoretic relation between an EFT and its (possibly hypothetical) high-energy theory is complex and arguably cannot be described in terms of standard accounts of reduction. This essay provides a review of this relation and what it suggests about the ontological status of EFTs and the extent to which the notion of emergence can be associated with them. Keywords: effective field theory, quantum field theory, renormalization, emergence.. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,679 |
| External links |
  Try with proxy. |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesPaul Teller (1982). Comments on the Papers of Cushing and Redhead: "Models, High-Energy Theoretical Physics and Realism" and "Quantum Field Theory for Philosophers". PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1982:100 - 111.
Stephan Hartmann (2001). Effective Field Theories, Reductionism and Scientific Explanation. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B 32 (2):267-304.
Elena Castellani (2002). Reductionism, Emergence, and Effective Field Theories. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B 33 (2):251-267.
Don Robinson (1992). Renormalization and the Effective Field Theory Programme. PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1992:393 - 403.
Jonathan Bain (forthcoming). Emergence in Effective Field Theories. European Journal for Philosophy of Science:1-17.
James T. Cushing (1982). Models and Methodologies in Current Theoretical High-Energy Physics. Synthese 50 (1):5 - 101.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2010-04-08Total downloads26 ( #47,662 of 549,084 )Recent downloads (6 months)2 ( #37,333 of 549,084 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
