Results in Finite Temperature Quantum Electrodynamics.
Abstract
This dissertation presents several results in finite temperature quantum electrodynamics. The results are of two kinds. First, three quantities of physical interest are calculated. The first two quantities are the self energy of the electron at order (alpha) and the self mass of the electron at order (alpha)('2) due to its interaction with a thermal bath of photons. The possibility that this thermal contribution to the self energy of the electron could modify the number and energy densities for the electron in the early universe is examined. The third quantity of physical interest is the thermal contribution to the self mass of the axion. Since the axion is extremely light, it was thought that at high temperature the thermal contributions to the self mass might be comparable to the zero temperature mass. It is shown that this is not the case. Second, some formal developments are presented. First among these is the proof of an extension to the familiar optical theorem to cover processes taking place at finite temperature. Then an example of the application of the theorem is given for a simple field theory involving two types of scalar particles. The example illustrates that the relationship between the forward scatering amplitude and the total crossection is more complex at finite temperature than at zero temperature. Second, a method for calculating the wave function renormalization constant at finite temperature for an electron in a thermal bath of photons is presented. This method is compared with methods invented by other authors.
- Publication:
-
Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- 1985
- Bibcode:
- 1985PhDT........68D
- Keywords:
-
- Physics: Elementary Particles and High Energy