quantum field

plural quantum fields

1. quantum mechanicsA quantum operator-valued function of (any point in) space.

   The result is zero expectation value for φ, and this would be true for whatever state, including the vacuum, that we choose. This effectively means that we would measure nothing if we tried to measure the quantum field φ. The field itself is unmeasurable.

   ibid., §7.3.1, page 190

   1 more example

   In Chaps. 3, 4, and 5, we saw that for each spin type, the Schrödinger picture wave equation for a state and the Heisenberg picture wave equation for the associated quantum field had the same form. In the former case, the wave equation solution was a state, i.e., a particle wave function. In the latter, the wave equation solution was a quantum field, i.e., an operator that created and destroyed states. For free scalars, this equation was the Klein-Gordon equation; for spinors, it was the (no interactions) Dirac equation; and for massless vectors (photons), it was Maxwell’s equation (sourceless, in terms of A#92;mu).

   2013, Robert D. Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory, 2nd edition, Fairfield, IA: Sandtrove Press, published 2018, →ISBN, →OCLC, §7.2.1, page 186

   Synonyms: operator field