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Kinetic term

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In physics, a kinetic term is any terms in the a quantum field theory Lagrangian that is bilinear in the fields, that is, terms that relate two fields. The kinetic terms describe free or non-interacting behavior of the fields. In contrast, interaction terms in the Lagrangian relate to field interactions and will include three or more fields. This terminology differs from classical mechanics which discusses kinetic energy and potential energy. Kinetic terms with time derivatives indicate dynamic or propagating fields.[1]: 30 


  1. ^ Schwartz, Matthew Dean (2014). Quantum field theory and the standard model. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-03473-0.