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Perturbative causality.

This paper examines the development of causal perturbation theory, a reformulation of perturbative quantum theory (QFT) starting from a causality condition rather than a time-evolution equation. We situate this program alongside other causality-based reformulations of relativistic quantum theory whi...

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Published in:Synthese Vol. 206; no. 2; pp. 1 - 37
Main Authors: Blum, Alexander S., Fraser, James D.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Aug2025
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Perturbative causality.
      aug:
        au:
          Blum, Alexander S.
          Fraser, James D.
        affil:
          https://ror.org/0492sjc74 Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Germany
          https://ror.org/02en5vm52 IHPST, CNRS and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Paris, France
      sug:
      keyword:
        Approximation
        Causation
        Mathematical rigour
        Quantum field theory
        Relativity theory
      ab: This paper examines the development of causal perturbation theory, a reformulation of perturbative quantum theory (QFT) starting from a causality condition rather than a time-evolution equation. We situate this program alongside other causality-based reformulations of relativistic quantum theory which flourished in the post-war period, contrasting it in particular with axiomatic QFT. Whereas the axiomatic QFT tradition tried to move beyond the perturbative expansion, causal perturbation theory can be thought of as a foundational investigation of this approximation method itself. Our reconstruction of this forgotten research program offers new perspectives on contemporary debates about relativistic causality conditions and the problem of ultraviolet divergences.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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