Unitarity, Lorentz invariance and causality in Lee-Wick theories: An asymptotically safe completion of QED

Abstract

We revisit the previously unsolved problems of ensuring Lorentz invariance and non-perturbative unitarity in Lee-Wick theories. We base our discussion on an ultraviolet completion of QED by Lee-Wick ghost fields, which is argued to be asymptotically safe. We argue that as long as the state space is based upon a suitable choice of distributions of a type invented by Gel'fand and Shilov, the Lee-Wick ghosts can be eliminated while preserving Lorentz invariance to produce a unitary theory. The method for eliminating ghosts is in principle non-perturbatively well-defined, in contrast with some previous proposals. We also point out a second, independent mechanism for producing a unitary theory, based on a covariant constraint on the maximum four-momentum, which would imply an amusing connection, based on naturalness, between the coupling constant and the hierarchy of scales in the theory. We further emphasize that the resulting theory is causal, and point out some analogies between between the behaviour of Lee-Wick ghost degrees of freedom and black holes.

arXiv comment57 pages, Latex

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