Braided Quantum Electrodynamics

The homotopy algebraic formalism of braided noncommutative field theory is used to define the explicit example of braided electrodynamics, that is, $\mathsf{U}(1)$ gauge theory minimally coupled to a Dirac fermion. We construct the braided $L_\infty$-algebra of this field theory and obtain the braided equations of motion, action functional and conserved matter current. The modifications of the electric charge conservation law due to the braided noncommutative deformation are described. We develop a braided generalization of Wick's theorem, and use it to compute correlation functions of the braided quantum field theory using homological perturbation theory. Our putative calculations indicate that the braided theory does not contain the non-planar Feynman diagrams of conventional noncommutative quantum field theory, and that correlators do not exhibit UV/IR mixing.Comment: 48 pages, 6 figures; v2: typos fixed, sign rules corrected, references added; v3: major change of conclusions - the corrected calculation of the vertex in braided QED renders all two-point correlators free from UV/IR mixin