Quantum field theory for classical fields
Quantum Physics
2026-03-06 v1 High Energy Physics - Lattice
High Energy Physics - Theory
Abstract
For classical field theories with probabilistic initial conditions the classical field observables are an idealization. Their arbitrarily precise values poorly reflect the characteristic uncertainty in the presence of substantial fluctuations. We propose to describe this system by observables based on fluctuating fields. In terms of these "statistical observables" the probabilistic classical field theory becomes a quantum field theory. Non-commuting operators are associated to observables. The quantum rules follow from the laws for classical probabilities. We construct the functional integral for the quantum field theory, and discuss in detail the classical relativistic Klein-Gordon equation with interactions.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.05061,
title = {Quantum field theory for classical fields},
author = {Christof Wetterich},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.05061},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
5 pages