An Unambiguous Method of Avoiding Divergence Difficulties in Quantum Theory

Abstract

THE classical theory of a point charge and the quantum theory of wave packets contain in their usual form well-known divergences, Dirac¹ has elaborated a classical particle theory which avoids these difficulties, but his results cannot as yet be applied to quantum theory. On the other hand, Heisenberg² has recently proposed a new formalism which permits the calculation of collision cross-sections in quantum theory without being disturbed by diverging terms. However, no connecting link such as the correspondence principle has been given in order to apply this quantum formalism to a given problem such as Rutherford scattering, Compton effect or radiation damping.