Simple explicit formulas for Gaussian path integrals with time-dependent frequencies

DOI10.1016/S0375-9601(98)00380-6MaRDI QIDQ1966770zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Hagen Kleinert, A. Chervyakov

Publication date 8 March 2000

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

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9803016

zbMATH Keywords

Green functionsquadratic fluctuationsratios of functional determinantssecond-order differential operatorssemiclassical fluctuations

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Path integrals in quantum mechanics (81S40)

Abstract: Quadratic fluctuations require an evaluation of ratios of functional determinants of second-order differential operators. We relate these ratios to the Green functions of the operators for Dirichlet, periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions on a line segment. This permits us to take advantage of Wronski's construction method for Green functions without knowledge of eigenvalues. Our final formula expresses the ratios of functional determinants in terms of an ordinary $2imes2$ -determinant of a constant matrix constructed from two linearly independent solutions of a the homogeneous differential equations associated with the second-order differential operators. For ratios of determinants encountered in semiclassical fluctuations around a classical solution, the result can further be expressed in terms of this classical solution. In the presence of a zero mode, our method allows for a simple universal regularization of the functional determinants. For Dirichlet's boundary condition, our result is equivalent to Gelfand-Yaglom's. Explicit formulas are given for a harmonic oscillator with an arbitrary time-dependent frequency.

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• Functional determinants from Wronski Green functions
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Cites work

• A Theorem on Infinite Products of Eigenvalues of Sturm-Liouville Type Operators
• Analytic torsion for complex manifolds
• Determinants, finite-difference operators and boundary value problems
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1273990 (Why is no real title available?)
• Integration in Functional Spaces and its Applications in Quantum Physics
• On the Determinant of Elliptic Boundary Value Problems on a Line Segment
• Regularization of functional determinants using boundary perturbations
• The Pinney equation and its discretization

Cited in

(10)

• The analytical evaluation of one-dimensional Gaussian path-integrals
• Functional determinants by contour integration methods.
• Two-loop corrections to false vacuum decay in scalar field theory
• Symmetries and zero modes in sample path large deviations
• A differential Galois approach to path integrals
• Aspects of plane wave (matrix) string dynamics
• On the decay rate of the false vacuum
• Functional determinants from Wronski Green functions
• On functional determinants of matrix differential operators with multiple zero modes
• On precision holography for the circular Wilson loop in AdS₅ S^5

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