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Formalization of QFT

Michael R. Douglas, Sarah Hoback, Anna Mei, Ron Nissim

hep-th Mar 16, 2026 · v1
Formalizes free bosonic QFT and the Osterwalder-Schrader/Glimm-Jaffe axioms in Lean 4 with Mathlib.
A foundational result in constructive quantum field theory is the construction of the free bosonic quantum field theory in four-dimensional Euclidean spacetime and the proof that it satisfies the Glimm-Jaffe axioms, a variant of the Osterwalder-Schrader axioms. We present a formalization of this result in the Lean 4 interactive theorem prover. The project is intended as a proof of concept that extended arguments in mathematical physics can be translated into machine-checked proofs using existing AI tools. We begin by introducing interactive theorem proving and constructive quantum field theory, then describe our formalization and the design decisions that shaped it. We also explain the methods we used, including coding assistants, and conclude by considering how AI assisted formalization may influence the future of theoretical physics. Our original release assumed three results, Minlos' theorem, the nuclear property of Schwartz space, and Goursat's theorem. In subsequent releases from our group and from contributors from the Lean community, these assumptions have been proven (or avoided), so that the OS/GJ axioms are now proven using only Lean and its library Mathlib.

A foundational result in constructive quantum field theory is the construction of the free bosonic QFT in four-dimensional Euclidean spacetime satisfying the Glimm-Jaffe axioms, but this result had never been machine-checked.

The authors formalize the construction of the free bosonic quantum field theory and its satisfaction of the Osterwalder-Schrader/Glimm-Jaffe axioms in the Lean 4 theorem prover. The project uses AI coding assistants during formalization and demonstrates that extended arguments in mathematical physics can be translated into machine-checked proofs. The original release assumed three results (Minlos' theorem, nuclear property of Schwartz space, Goursat's theorem), which were subsequently proven or avoided by the authors and Lean community contributors.

The OS/GJ axioms for the free bosonic QFT are now proven using only Lean and Mathlib, with all original assumptions eliminated. The project serves as a proof of concept for AI-assisted formalization of mathematical physics.