Why_Renormalization_Is_Proof_That_QFT_Is_Not_a_Fundamental_Theory
Abstract
This work provides a structural and variational critique of Quantum Field Theory, arguing that the necessity of renormalization is not a technical success but direct evidence of non-fundamentality. Divergences, cutoffs, running couplings, and perturbative resummations are shown to be mathematical artefacts arising from an open and non-variational framework. It is demonstrated that a fundamental physical theory cannot require the systematic removal of infinities, external parameter tuning, or scale-dependent redefinitions. Renormalization is therefore interpreted as a diagnostic of missing global structure rather than a resolution of physical inconsistencies. By contrasting QFT with a closed variational framework, the work shows that finite dynamics, fixed constants, and interaction structure must emerge from global stationarity conditions rather than from perturbative adjustments. Quantum Field Theory is thus identified as an effective approximation valid within limited coherence regimes, not as a fundamental description of physical reality
Fields of Study & Subjects
Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics
Relativity and Gravitational Theory
Particle physics theoretical and experimental studies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 10 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Preprint