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On the status of perturbation theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2007

THIERRY PAUL*
Affiliation:
Départemant de Mathématiques et Applications, Ecole Normale Supérieure and C.N.R.S., 45 rue d'Ulm, F – 75230 Paris Cedex 05

Extract

Perturbation theory has always been an important component of the natural sciences. From celestial mechanics to the quantum theory of fields, it has always played a central role, which this little note sets out to analyse briefly. We will show, in particular, how its epistemological position has changed from being just a ‘tool’ to being the basis of definition for objects in quantum field theory.

Type
Paper
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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