The Friedrichs-Lee Model and its Singular Coupling Limit

Abstract. Lee’s field-theoretical model describes the interaction between a qubit and a structured bosonic field. We study the mathematical properties of the Hamiltonian of the single-excitation sector of the theory, including a possibly “singular” qubit-field coupling (i.e., mediated by a non-square integrable form factor). This result allows for a rigorous description of qubit-field interactions in many physically interesting systems and may be extended to higher-excitation sectors of the theory.