Summary
The various possible definitions of the coupling constant in quantum electrodynamics and in meson theory are reviewed and their properties are discussed. It is pointed out that the gauge invariance of quantum electrodynamics makes the definition of the renormalized charge unique, at least in a certain sense. This simplification does not occur in meson theory where the definition of the coupling constant is more ambiguous. A recent attempt at comparing different mesic charges is discussed.
Riassunto
Si elencano le varie possibili definizioni della costante d’accoppiamento dnell’elettrodinamica quantistica e nella teoria mesonica e se ne discutono le proprità. Si rileva che la «gauge invariance» dell’elettrodinamica quantistica rende—almeno in un certo senso—unica la definizione della carica rinormalizzata. Questa semplificazione non si presenta nella teoria mesonica dove la definizione della costante d’accoppiamento è maggiormente ambigua. Si discute un recente tentativo di confronto fra differenti cariche mesoniche.
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Traduzione a cura della Redazione.
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Källén, G. The coupling constant in field theory. Nuovo Cim 12, 217–225 (1954). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02781176
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02781176