Wick's Theorem expresses the time-ordered product of a collection of field operators in quantum field theory as a sum of normal-ordered products together with every possible way of pairing operators into contractions. Named for Gian-Carlo Wick, it supplies the combinatorial machinery underlying perturbative Feynman-diagram calculations, translating products of operators into sums indexed by pairings.
Facts
StatementWick's theorem is a method of reducing a time ordered product of creation and annihilation operators into a sum of normal ordered products together with every possible way of pairing operators into contractions, turning the calculation into a combinatorics problem. 1 Classification
Statement Form Connections
Has Statement Form
In Branch
Source Wick's theorem, Wikipedia
Sources
1. Wick's theorem, Wikipedia
Lead section, opening sentence
Wick's theorem is a method of reducing high-order derivatives to a combinatorics problem.
References
Wick, G. C. (1950). "The Evaluation of the Collision Matrix". Phys. Rev. 80 (2): 268-272.
In Branch: Mathematical Physics, Lead
It is used extensively in quantum field theory to reduce arbitrary products of creation
In Group: Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory, Lead section
physicist Gian Carlo Wick. It is used extensively in quantum field theory to reduce arbitrary products of creation and
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.