2023/05/10 by D. Freeborn, Freeborn, David, Marian Gilton +3
Arts and Humanities · Chemistry · #FOS: Physical sciences #History and Philosophy of Physics (physics.hist-ph) #Molecular spectroscopy and chirality #Philosophy and History of Science #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2305.05824
openalex publication_date 2023/05/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Haag's theorem is a classic no-go theorem. It rigorously demonstrates there is a logical problem with the interaction picture (IP), one of the most widely used modeling tools in quantum field theory (QFT). The significance of the theorem for the use of the IP in QFT has been the subject of long-running debate, focused around how ``worried'' we should be. In this paper, we argue for an alternative and opposite perspective on Haag's theorem, rejecting the `worry' framing in favor of emphasizing the no-go theorem's implications for model development.