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From: DAM%MIT-OZ@MIT-MC.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Quantum Field Theory
Message-ID: <453@sri-arpa.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 30-Jul-85 12:01:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.453
Posted: Tue Jul 30 12:01:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Aug-85 22:01:47 EDT
Lines: 28


	Thanks for the response.  I appreciate the time you spend
writing the messages.

	We seem to be dealing with a "configuration space" in which
each configuration is a state of the 3-dimensional field.  A
particular configuration is an eigenfunction of all (continuum many)
field operators.

> If one defines the initial conditions on the field operators at time t=0 then
> the Hamiltonian is used to propagate the initial state of the operators
> using the standard Heisenberg picture Schroodinger equation for the field
> operators.

	I assume that QFT is similar to ordinary quantum mechanics
in that position eigenfunctions are highly unstable over time
(if I know position I don't know momentum).  In QFT this should mean
that if I have an eigenfunction of all field operators then very soon
I have a wave function which is spead out over all field configurations.

	In ordinary QM a solution of Schodingers equation is a function
of the form psi(c, t) where c is a variable ranging over configurations
of the system.  Is the same true in QFT?  In QFT each configuration c
is a distribution of the field in THREE-space?  Why does time have such
a distinguished status?  Why shouldn't solutions of (whatever) physical
equations be functions of the form psi(c') where c' ranges over
configurations of the field in FOUR-space?  I'll have to think about
this further.