Path integral for a hyperbolic system of the first order (Q795227): Difference between revisions

The aim of the author is to derive a Feynman path integral formula for the solution f of the \(N\times N\) hyperbolic first order system \[ f_ t(t,x)=P_ kf_{x_ k}-iA_ k(t,x)f+iQf+iV(t,x)f\quad on\quad 0<t<T,\quad x\quad in\quad R^ d, \] with initial data \(f(0,x)=g(x)\) and indices sum from \(k=1\) to \(k=d\). Here \(P_ k\), \(k=1,...,d\), Q are constant \(N\times N\) matrices, \(A_ k(t,x)\), V(t,x) are real valued functions. \(P_ k\) are assumed to have real eigenvalues and to be simultaneously diagonalizable. The author constructs a path space measure \(v_{t,x}\) on the space of continuous paths \(X:[0,t]\to R^ d\) so that f is given by the formula \[ f(t,x)=\int dv_{t,x}(x)\exp [i\int^{t}_{0}A(s,X(s))dX(s)+V(s,X(s))ds]g(X(0)). \] Applications are given to the Dirac equation in two dimensions and to the hyperbolic system derived from the Klein-Gordon and wave equations in two- dimensional space time.