Ontological aspects of quantum field theory

Quantum field theory (QFT) provides the framework for many fundamental theories in modern physics, and over the last few years there has been growing interest in its historical and philosophical foundations.

This anthology on the foundations of QFT brings together 15 essays by well-known researchers in physics, the philosophy of physics, and analytic philosophy.Many of these essays were first presented as papers at the conference “Ontological Aspects of Quantum Field Theory”, held at the Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung (ZiF), Bielefeld, Germany.

The essays contain cutting-edge work on ontological aspects of QFT, including: the role of measurement and experimental evidence, corpuscular versus field-theoretic interpretations of QFT, the interpretation of gauge symmetry, and localization.This book is ideally suited to anyone with an interest in the foundations of quantum physics, including physicists, philosophers and historians of physics, as well as general readers interested in philosophy or science.Contents:Approaches to Ontology:Candidate General Ontologies for Situating Quantum Field Theory (P Simons)‘Quanta’, Tropes, or Processes: Ontologies for QFT Beyond the Myth of Substance (J Seibt)Analytical Ontologists in Action: A Comment on Seibt and Simons (M Kuhlmann)How Do Field Theories Refer to Entities in a Field? (S Y Auyang)Field Ontologies for QFT:A Naive View of the Quantum Field (A Wayne)Comments on Paul Teller's Book, “An Interpretive Introduction to Quantum Field Theory” (G Fleming)So What Is the Quantum Field? (P Teller)Relativity, Measurement and Renormalization:On the Nature of Measurement Records in Relativistic Quantum Field Theory (J A Barrett)No Place for Particles in Relativistic Quantum Theories? (H Halvorson & R Clifton)Events and Covariance in the Interpretation of Quantum Field Theory (D Dieks)Measurement and Ontology: What Kind of Evidence Can We Have for Quantum Fields? (B Falkenburg)Renormalization and the Disunity of Science (N Huggett)Gauge Symmetries and the Vacuum:The Interpretation of Gauge Symmetry (M Redhead)Comment on Redhead: The Interpretation of Gauge Symmetry (M Drieschner et al.)Is the Zero-Point Energy Real? (S Saunders)Two Comments on the Vacuum in Algebraic Quantum Field Theory (M Rédei)Readership: Physicists, historians of physics and philosophers.