> A regular particle isn't really emergent, it corresponds 1:1 to the excitation of the field
Maybe 'emergent' was the wrong word here. I meant that particles are convenient ways of describing behavior of the fields in many (but not all) cases, with the fields themselves considered to be the (more) fundamental description of reality.
Quantization exists because of the waves though. It's a consequence of standing waves being produced when an excitation is confined. It's not AFAIK an axiom of QFT, more an emergent result.
Maybe 'emergent' was the wrong word here. I meant that particles are convenient ways of describing behavior of the fields in many (but not all) cases, with the fields themselves considered to be the (more) fundamental description of reality.