scholarly journals Path Integrals for (Complex) Classical and Quantum Mechanics

10.14311/1414 ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Rivers

An analysis of classical mechanics in a complex extension of phase space shows that a particle in such a space can behave in a way redolent of quantum mechanics; additional dimensions permit ‘tunnelling’ without recourse to instantons and time/energy uncertainties exist. In practice, ‘classical’ particle trajectories with additional degrees of freedom arise in several different formulations of quantum mechanics. In this talk we compare the extended phase space of the closed time-path formalism with that of complex classical mechanics, to suggest that ℏ has a role in our understanding of the latter. However, differences in the way that trajectories are used make a deeper comparison problematical. We conclude with some thoughts on quantisation as dimensional reduction.

Author(s):  
Flavio Mercati

This chapter explains in detail the current Hamiltonian formulation of SD, and the concept of Linking Theory of which (GR) and SD are two complementary gauge-fixings. The physical degrees of freedom of SD are identified, the simple way in which it solves the problem of time and the problem of observables in quantum gravity are explained, and the solution to the problem of constructing a spacetime slab from a solution of SD (and the related definition of physical rods and clocks) is described. Furthermore, the canonical way of coupling matter to SD is introduced, together with the operational definition of four-dimensional line element as an effective background for matter fields. The chapter concludes with two ‘structural’ results obtained in the attempt of finding a construction principle for SD: the concept of ‘symmetry doubling’, related to the BRST formulation of the theory, and the idea of ‘conformogeometrodynamics regained’, that is, to derive the theory as the unique one in the extended phase space of GR that realizes the symmetry doubling idea.


1973 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 538-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Simms

AbstractThis is a report on some new relations and analogies between classical mechanics and quantum mechanics which arise out of the work of Kostant and Souriau. Topics treated are i) the role of symmetry groups; ii) the notion of elementary system and the role of Casimir invariants; iii) energy levels; iv) quantisation in terms of geometric data on the classical phase space. Some applications are described.


2005 ◽  
Vol 02 (04) ◽  
pp. 633-655
Author(s):  
JOSÉ M. ISIDRO

Duality transformations within the quantum mechanics of a finite number of degrees of freedom can be regarded as the dependence of the notion of a quantum, i.e., an elementary excitation of the vacuum, on the observer on classical phase space. Under an observer we understand, as in general relativity, a local coordinate chart. While classical mechanics can be formulated using a symplectic structure on classical phase space, quantum mechanics requires a complex-differentiable structure on that same space. Complex-differentiable structures on a given real manifold are often not unique. This article is devoted to analysing the dependence of the notion of a quantum on the complex-differentiable structure chosen on classical phase space. For that purpose we consider Kähler phase spaces, endowed with a dynamics whose Hamiltonian equals the local Kähler potential.


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (08) ◽  
pp. 1350019
Author(s):  
ALBERTO ESCALANTE ◽  
JOSÉ L. OSIO

A pure Dirac's method for Abelian and non-Abelian massive theories in three dimensions is performed. Our analysis is developed on the extended phase space, reporting the relevant structure of the theories, namely, the extended action, the extended Hamiltonian, the full structure of the constraints and the counting of degrees of freedom. In addition, we compare our results with those found in the literature.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Gagik Ter-Kazarian

We derive the classical analog of the extended phase space quantum mechanics of the particle with odd degrees of freedom which gives rise to ()-realization of supersymmetry (SUSY) algebra. By means of an iterative procedure, we find the approximate ground state solutions to the extended Schrödinger-like equation and use these solutions further to calculate the parameters which measure the breaking of extended SUSY such as the ground state energy. Consequently, we calculate a more practical measure for the SUSY breaking which is the expectation value of an auxiliary field. We analyze nonperturbative mechanism for extended phase space SUSY breaking in the instanton picture and show that this has resulted from tunneling between the classical vacua of the theory. Particular attention is given to the algebraic properties of shape invariance and spectrum generating algebra.


1993 ◽  
Vol 07 (19) ◽  
pp. 1263-1268
Author(s):  
H. DEKKER ◽  
A. MAASSEN VAN DEN BRINK

Turnover theory (of the escape Γ) à la Grabert will be based solely on Kramers' Fokker–Planck equation for activated rate processes. No recourse to a microscope model or Langevin dynamics will be made. Apart from the unstable mode energy E, the analysis requires new theoretical concepts such as a constrained Gaussian transformation (CGT) and dynamically extended phase space (EPS).


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadollah Nasiri ◽  
Samira Bahrami

Here we use the extended phase space formulation of quantum statistical mechanics proposed in an earlier work to define an extended lagrangian for Wigner's functions (WFs). The extended action defined by this lagrangian is a function of ordinary phase space variables. The reality condition of WFs is employed to quantize the extended action. The energy quantization is obtained as a direct consequence of the quantized action. The technique is applied to find the energy states of harmonic oscillator, particle in the box, and hydrogen atom as the illustrative examples.


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