https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-015-3579-2
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
The complex-mass scheme and unitarity in perturbative quantum field theory
Institut für Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik, Universität Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
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Received:
22
June
2015
Accepted:
23
July
2015
Published online:
21
August
2015
Abstract
We investigate unitarity within the complex-mass scheme, a convenient universal scheme for perturbative calculations involving unstable particles in quantum field theory which guarantees exact gauge invariance. Since this scheme requires one to introduce complex masses and complex couplings, the Cutkosky cutting rules, which express perturbative unitarity in theories of stable particles, are no longer valid. We derive corresponding rules for scalar theories with unstable particles based on Veltman’s largest-time equation and prove unitarity in this framework.
© The Author(s), 2015
