Infrared problem in QED and electric charge renormalization (Q1096862)

In the framework of the formalism developed in their earlier papers the authors discuss the problem of charge renormalization in QED. The electric charge may be defined in two ways: as a generator of gauge transformations or as a quantum number of asymptotic states. Both formal definitions are nontrivially affected by renormalization effects. These effects are carefully discussed and they are shown to be responsible for the difference between the value appearing in the commutator of the formally renormalized charge operator and the physical charge of the asymptotic states. It is proved that taking into account the infrared properties of the theory, i.e. passing from the local charged states to the asymptotic ones, does not change the value of charge. Therefore, the precise way of defining the physical charge from the vertex function follows. The authors prove that the Gauss law holds (with renormalized charge as a source) if one takes the expectation value between physical states. The construction of multiparticle states is also given.