On the Ladder Bethe-Salpeter Equation

The Bethe-Salpeter (BS) equation in the ladder approximation is studied within a scalar theory: two scalar fields (constituents) with mass m interacting via an exchange of a scalar field (tieon) with mass μ. The BS equation is written in the form of an integral equation in the configuration Euclidean x-space with the kernel which for stable bound states M < 2m is a self-adjoint positive operator. The solution of the BS equation is formulated as a variational problem. The nonrelativistic limit of the BS equation is considered. The role of so-called abnormal states is discussed.