Pointwise product

Abstract: On the basis of a thorough discussion of the Batalin-Vilkovisky formalism for classical field theory presented in our previous publication, we construct in this paper the Batalin-Vilkovisky complex in perturbatively renormalized quantum field theory. The crucial technical ingredient is an extended notion of the renormalized time-ordered product as a binary product equivalent to the pointwise product of classical field theory. Originally, in causal perturbation theory, the time-ordered product is understood merely as a sequence of multilinear maps on the space of local functionals. Our extended notion of the renormalized time-ordered product (denoted by \({\cdot_{{}^{\mathcal{T}_{\rm r}}}}\)) is consistent with the old one and we found a subspace of the quantum algebra which is closed with respect to \({\cdot_{{}^{\mathcal{T}_{\rm r}}}}\) . On this space the renormalized Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra is then the classical algebra but written in terms of the time-ordered product, together with an operator which replaces the ill defined graded Laplacian of the unrenormalized theory. We identify it with the anomaly term of the anomalous Master Ward Identity of Brennecke and Dutsch. Contrary to other approaches we do not refer to the path integral formalism and do not need to use regularizations in intermediate steps.

Abstract: Given two Banach function spaces we study the pointwise product space E · F, especially for the case that the pointwise product of their unit balls is again convex. We then give conditions on when the pointwise product E · M(E, F) = F, where M(E, F) denotes the space of multiplication operators from E into F.

Abstract: Let $G$ be a {\it finite group}. Consider the algebra $A$ of all complex functions on G (with pointwise product). Define a coproduct $\Delta$ on A by $\Delta(f)(p,q)=f(pq)$ where $f\in A$ and $p,q\in G$. Then $(A,\Delta)$ is a Hopf algebra. If $G$ is only a {\it groupoid}, so that the product of two elements is not always defined, one still can consider $A$ and define $\Delta(f)(p,q)$ as above when $pq$ is defined. If we let $\Delta(f)(p,q)=0$ otherwise, we still get a coproduct on $A$, but $\Delta(1)$ will no longer be the identity in $A\ot A$. The pair $(A,\Delta)$ is not a Hopf algebra but a weak Hopf algebra. If $G$ is a {\it group}, but {\it no longer finite}, one takes for $A$ the algebra of functions with finite support. Then $A$ has no identity and $(A,\Delta)$ is not a Hopf algebra but a multiplier Hopf algebra. Finally, if $G$ is a {\it groupoid}, but {\it not necessarily finite}, the standard construction above, will give, what we call in this paper, a weak multiplier Hopf algebra. Indeed, this paper is devoted to the development of this 'missing link': {\it weak multiplier Hopf algebras}. We spend a great part of this paper to the motivation of our notion and to explain where the various assumptions come from. The goal is to obtain a good definition of a weak multiplier Hopf algebra. Throughout the paper, we consider the basic examples and use them, as far as this is possible, to illustrate what we do. In particular, we think of the finite-dimensional weak Hopf algebras. On the other hand however, we are also inspired by the far more complicated existing analytical theory. In forthcoming papers on the subject, we develop the theory further.