Path integrals with discarded degrees of freedom

DOI10.1016/J.PHYSLETA.2018.12.002MaRDI QIDQ822874zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Luke M. Butcher

Publication date 24 September 2021

Published in Physics Letters. A (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.07007

zbMATH Keywords

path integralsinformation capacitycurved configuration spacediscarded variables

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Closed and approximate solutions to the Schrödinger, Dirac, Klein-Gordon and other equations of quantum mechanics (81Q05) Semiclassical techniques, including WKB and Maslov methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81Q20) Quantum mechanics on special spaces: manifolds, fractals, graphs, lattices (81Q35) Path integrals in quantum mechanics (81S40)

Abstract: Whenever variables $phi=(ph{i}^1,ph{i}^2,ldots)$ are discarded from a system, and the discarded information capacity $mathcalS(x)$ depends on the value of an observable $x$, a quantum correction $Delta{V}_{m}athrmeff(x)$ appears in the effective potential [arXiv:1707.05789]. Here I examine the origins and implications of $Delta{V}_{m}athrmeff$ within the path integral, which I construct using Synge's world function. I show that the $phi$ variables can be `integrated out' of the path integral, reducing the propagator to a sum of integrals over observable paths $x(t)$ alone. The phase of each path is equal to the semiclassical action (divided by $hbar$) including the same correction $Delta{V}_{m}athrmeff$ as previously derived. This generalises the prior results beyond the limits of the Schr"odinger equation; in particular, it allows us to consider discarded variables with a history-dependent information capacity $mathcalS=mathcalS(x,in{t}^{t}f(x(t^{\prime }))mathrmd{t}^{\prime })$. History dependence does not alter the formula for $Delta{V}_{m}athrmeff$.

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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3147371 (Why is no real title available?)
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• Canonical quantization of classical mechanics in curvilinear coordinates. Invariant quantization procedure
• Dynamical Theory in Curved Spaces. I. A Review of the Classical and Quantum Action Principles
• Geodesic deviation at higher orders via covariant bitensors
• Holography in general space-times
• Quantum effective potential from discarded degrees of freedom

Cited in

(4)

• Quantum effective potential from discarded degrees of freedom
• Coordinate independence of path integrals in one-dimensional target space
• Jaggedness of path integral trajectories
• On the non-existence of path integrals

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