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We discuss the functional representation of fermions, and obtain exact expressions for wave-functionals of the Schwinger model. Known features of the model such as bosonization and the vacuum angle arise naturally. Contrary to expectations, the vacuum wave-functional does not simplify at large distances, but it may be reconstructed as a large time limit of the corresponding Schrodinger functional, which has an expansion in local terms. The functional Schrodinger equation reduces to a set of algebraic equations for the coefficients of these terms. These ideas generalize to a numerical approach to QCD in higher dimensions., LaTeX, 19 pages

For slowly varying fields the vacuum functional of a quantum field theory may be expanded in terms of local functionals. This expansion satisfies its own form of the Schr\"odinger equation from which the expansion coefficents can be found. For scalar field theory in 1+1 dimensions we show that this approach correctly reproduces the short-distance properties as contained in the counter-terms. We also describe an approximate simplification that occurs for the Sine-Gordon and Sinh-Gordon vacuum functionals., Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX, 8 figures