Compact canonical quantization on the light cone is examined in the limit of infinite periodicity length $L.\mathrm{}$ Pauli-Jordan commutators are found to approach continuum expressions with marginal noncausal terms of order $L^{-3/4}$ traced back to the handling of the IR divergence through the elimination of zero modes. In contrast direct quantization in the continuum in terms of field operator valued distributions is shown to provide the standard causal result while at the same time ensuring consistent IR and UV renormalization.

• Received 12 March 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.60.067701