The perturbative approach to path integrals: a succinct mathematical treatment

DOI10.1063/1.4962800zbMATH Open1352.81048arXiv1505.04809OpenAlexW3105524526MaRDI QIDQ2825549FDOQ2825549

Authors: Timothy Nguyen 

Publication date: 13 October 2016

Published in: Journal of Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We study finite-dimensional integrals in a way that elucidates the mathematical meaning behind the formal manipulations of path integrals occurring in quantum field theory. This involves a proper understanding of how Wick's theorem allows one to evaluate integrals perturbatively, i.e., as a series expansion in a formal parameter irrespective of convergence properties. We establish invariance properties of such a Wick expansion under coordinate changes and the action of a Lie group of symmetries, and we use this to study essential features of path integral manipulations, including coordinate changes, Ward identities, Schwinger-Dyson equations, Faddeev-Popov gauge-fixing, and eliminating fields by their equation of motion. We also discuss the asymptotic nature of the Wick expansion and the implications this has for defining path integrals perturbatively and nonperturbatively.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1505.04809

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zbMATH Keywords

perturbation theorypath integralsWick's theorem

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Asymptotic approximations, asymptotic expansions (steepest descent, etc.) (41A60) Foundations, quantum information and its processing, quantum axioms, and philosophy (81P99) Perturbative methods of renormalization applied to problems in quantum field theory (81T15) Path integrals in quantum mechanics (81S40)

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Cited In (13)

• Newton's gravitation-force's classical average proof of a Verlinde's conjecture
• Path Integrals and Quantum Anomalies
• Method of approximate evaluation of path integrals using perturbation theory with convergent series. I
• Method for approximate evaluation of path integrals using perturbation theory with convergent series. II: Euclidean quantum field theory
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Perturbatively defined path integral in phase space
• Dimensionally regularized Boltzmann-Gibbs statistical mechanics and two-body Newton's gravitation
• Dimensionally regularized Tsallis' statistical mechanics and two-body Newton's gravitation
• \textit{Effective locality} QCD calculations and the Gribov copy problem
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• A non-diagrammatic method for perturbative calculations in field theory
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• A functional integral approaches to the Makeenko-Migdal equations

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