In this paper we show that a method of quantization proposed few years ago (ann.of phys. (314),2005, 24) is equivalent to studying the system for values of the action close to zero. In this paper we also study the behaviour when the action gets very very large which could be the regime where dark energy and dark matter are invoked. Surprisingly the behaviour at this regime is not the one of classical mechanics but it resembles the one of quantum mechanics with of course different constants.
In quantum statistical mechanics, Moyal’s equation governs the time evolution of Wigner functions and of more general Weyl symbols that represent the density matrix of arbitrary mixed states. A formal solution to Moyal’s equation is given by Marinov’s path integral. In this paper we demonstrate that this path integral can be regarded as the natural link between several conceptual, geometric, and dynamical issues in quantum mechanics. A unifying perspective is achieved by highlighting the pivotal role which the response field, one of the integration variables in Marinov’s integral, plays for pure states even. The discussion focuses on how the integral’s semiclassical approximation relates to its strictly classical limit; unlike for Feynman type path integrals, the latter is well defined in the Marinov case. The topics covered include a random force representation of Marinov’s integral based upon the concept of “Airy averaging”, a related discussion of positivity-violating Wigner functions describing tunneling processes, and the role of the response field in maintaining quantum coherence and enabling interference phenomena. The double slit experiment for electrons and the Bohm–Aharonov effect are analyzed as illustrative examples. Furthermore, a surprising relationship between the instantons of the Marinov path integral over an analytically continued (“Wick rotated”) response field, and the complex instantons of Feynman-type integrals is found. The latter play a prominent role in recent work towards a Picard–Lefschetz theory applicable to oscillatory path integrals and the resurgence program.
In this paper we show that, via an extension of time, some metric structures naturally appear in both classical and quantum mechanics when both are formulated via path integrals. We calculate the various Ricci scalar and curvatures associated to these metrics and prove that they can be choosen to be zero in classical mechanics while this is not possible in quantum mechanics.
In this paper we derive various identities involving the action functional which enters the path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics. They provide some kind of generalisations of the Ehrenfest theorem giving correlations between powers of the action and its functional derivatives.
In this paper we put forward some simple rules which can be used in order to pass from the quantum Moyal evolution operator to the classical one of Liouville without taking the limit of ħ→0. These rules involve the averaging over some auxiliary variables.
MOND dynamics consists of a modification of the acceleration with respect to the one provided by Newtonian mechanics. In this paper, we investigate whether it can be derived from a velocity-dependent deformation of the coordinates of the systems. The conclusion is that it cannot be derived this way because of the intrinsic non-local character in time of the MOND procedure. This is a feature pointed out some time ago already by Milgrom himself.
In this paper, we show how to obtain from a scalar superfield its first component via a similarity transformation. We prove that in D = 4 the generators of this similarity transformation live in the enveloping algebra of supersymmetry while for D = 1 they belong to the basic algebra.
In this paper we show that the energy eigenstates of supersymmetric quantum mechanics (SUSYQM) with non-definite “fermion” number are entangled states. They are ”physical states” of the model provided that observables with odd number of spin variables are allowed in the theory like it happens in the Jaynes-Cummings model. Those states generalize the so called ”spin-spring” states of the Jaynes-Cummings model which have played an important role in the study of entanglement.
In this paper we show how the equations of motion of a superfield, which makes its appearance in a path-integral approach to classical mechanics, can be derived without the need of the least-action principle
In a recent paper we have analyzed the role that a universal set of local symmetries plays in suppressing the superposition principle in classical mechanics via a path-integral formulation of classical mechanics itself. In this Letter first we generalize those local symmetries, second we study the role which the gauge fixing plays and third we put forward the idea of which ones should be the physical degrees of freedom of the theory.
In this paper we analyze perturbatively a g phi^4 classical field theory with and without temperature. In order to do that, we make use of a path-integral approach developed some time ago for classical theories. It turns out that the diagrams appearing at the classical level are many more than at the quantum level due to the presence of extra auxiliary fields in the classical formalism. We shall show that several of those diagrams cancel against each other due to a universal supersymmetry present in the classical path integral mentioned above. The same supersymmetry allows the introduction of super-fields and super-diagrams which considerably simplify the calculations and make the classical perturbative calculations almost "identical" formally to the quantum ones. Using the super-diagrams technique we develop the classical perturbation theory up to third order. We conclude the paper with a perturbative check of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem.
In this paper we study three different functional approaches to classical thermal field theory, which turn out to be the classical counterparts of three well-known different formulations of quantum thermal field theory: the closed-time path (CTP) formalism, the thermofield dynamics (TFD) and the Matsubara approach.
Koopman-von Neumann in the 30’s gave an operatorial formulation of Classical Mechanics. It was shown later on that this formulation could also be written in a path-integral form. We will label this functional approach as CPI (for classical path-integral) to distinguish it from the quantum mechanical one, which we will indicate with QPI. In the CPI two Grassmannian partners of time make their natural appearance and in this manner time becomes something like a three dimensional supermanifold. Next we introduce a metric in this supermanifold and show that a particular choice of the supermetric reproduces the CPI while a different one gives the QPI.
In the Hilbert space formulation of classical mechanics, pioneered by Koopman and von Neumann, there are potentially more observables than in the standard approach to classical mechanics. In this Letter, we show that actually many of those extra observables are not invariant under a set of universal local symmetries which appear once the Koopman and von Neumann formulation is extended to include the evolution of differential forms. Because of their noninvariance, those extra observables have to be removed. This removal makes the superposition of states in the Koopman and von Neumann formulation, and as a consequence also in classical mechanics, impossible.
Classical mechanics, in the operatorial formulation of Koopman and von Neumann, can be written also in a functional form. In this form two Grassmann partners of time make their natural appearance extending in this manner time to a three dimensional supermanifold. Quantization is then achieved by a process of dimensional reduction of this supermanifold. We prove that this procedure is equivalent to the well-known method of geometric quantization.
In this paper, we study the symmetry known (Landau and Lifshits 1976 Course of Theoretical Physics vol 1: Mechanics (Oxford: Pergamon)) as mechanical similarity (LMS) and present for any monomial potential. We analyse it in the framework of the Koopman–von Neumann formulation of classical mechanics and prove that in this framework the LMS can be given a canonical implementation. We also show that the LMS is a generalization of the scale symmetry which is present only for the inverse square and a few other potentials. Finally, we study the main obstructions which one encounters in implementing the LMS at the quantum-mechanical level.
In this paper we present the Koopman‐von Neumann (KvN) formulation of classical non‐Abelian gauge field theories. In particular we shall explore the functional (or classical path integral) counterpart of the KvN method. In the quantum path integral quantization of Yang‐Mills theories concepts like gauge‐fixing and Faddeev‐Popov determinant appear in a quite natural way. We will prove that these same objects are needed also in this classical path integral formulation for Yang‐Mills theories. We shall also explore the classical path integral counterpart of the BFV formalism and build all the associated universal and gauge charges. These last are quite different from the analog quantum ones and we shall show the relation between the two. This paper lays the foundation of this formalism which, due to the many auxiliary fields present, is rather heavy. Applications to specific topics outlined in the paper will appear in later publications.