However, in nature the electromagnetic field is coupled to charged particles, such as [[electron]]s. The QFT describing the interactions of photons and charged particles is [[quantum electrodynamics]] (QED), and this theory is not scale-invariant. We can see this from the [[beta-function#Quantum electrodynamics|QED beta-function]]. This tells us that the [[electric charge]] (which is the coupling parameter in the theory) increases with increasing energy. Therefore, while the quantized electromagnetic field without charged particles '''is''' scale-invariant, QED is '''not''' scale-invariant. | However, in nature the electromagnetic field is coupled to charged particles, such as [[electron]]s. The QFT describing the interactions of photons and charged particles is [[quantum electrodynamics]] (QED), and this theory is not scale-invariant. We can see this from the [[beta-function#Quantum electrodynamics|QED beta-function]]. This tells us that the [[electric charge]] (which is the coupling parameter in the theory) increases with increasing energy. Therefore, while the quantized electromagnetic field without charged particles '''is''' scale-invariant, QED is '''not''' scale-invariant. |