These notes were inspired by the course ''Quantum Field Theory from a Functional Integral Point of View'' given at the University of Zurich in Spring 2017 by Santosh Kandel. We describe Feynman's path integral approach to quantum mechanics and quantum field theory from a functional integral point of view, where the main focus lies in Euclidean field theory. The notion of Gaussian measure and the construction of the Wiener measure are covered. Moreover, we recall the notion of classical mechanics and the Schrödinger picture of quantum mechanics, where it shows the equivalence to the path integral formalism, by deriving the quantum mechanical propagator out of it. Additionally, we give an introduction to elements of constructive quantum field theory.
We illustrate the usefulness of functional equations in establishing relationships between master integrals under the integration-by-parts reduction procedure by considering a certain two-loop propagator-type diagram as an example.
Let $\mathcal{S}\subset \mathcal{L}^2 \subset \mathcal{S}^*$ be the Gel'fand triple over the Bernoulli space, where elements of $\mathcal{S}^*$ are called Bernoulli generalized functionals. In this paper, we define integrals of Bernoulli generalized functionals with respect to a spectral measure (projection operator-valued measure) in the framework of $\mathcal{S}\subset \mathcal{L}^2 \subset \mathcal{S}^*$, and examine their fundamental properties. New notions are introduced, several results are obtained and examples are also shown.
The algebraic approach to quantum mechanics has been vital to the development of quantum theory since its inception, and it has evolved into a mathematically rigorous $C^\ast$-algebraic formulation of the theory's axioms. Conversely, the functional approach in the form of Feynman path integrals is far from mathematically rigorous: Nevertheless, path integrals provide an equally valid and useful formulation of the axioms of quantum mechanics. The two approaches can be merged by employing a notion of functional integration based on topological groups that allows to construct functional integral …
We have developed a field theory for strongly coupled Coulomb fluids, via introducing new functional--integral transformation of the electrostatic interaction energy. Our formalism not only reproduces the Lieb--Narnhofer lower bound, but also bridges logical gaps which previous approaches have involved.
Regularized coherent-state functional integrals are derived for ensembles of identical bosons on a lattice, the regularization being a discretization of Euclidian time. Convergence of the time-continuum limit is shown for various discretized actions. The focus is on the integral representation for the partition function and expectation values in the canonical ensemble. The connection to the grand-canonical integral, and a number of differences, are discussed. Uniform bounds for covariances are proven, which simplify the analysis of the time-continuum limit and can also be used to analyze the t…
We provide a unified method for obtaining upper bounds for certain functional integrals appearing in quantum mechanics and non-relativistic quantum field theory, functionals of the form $E\left[\exp(A_T)\right]$, the (effective) action $A_T$ being a function of particle trajectories up to time $T$. The estimates in turn yield rigorous lower bounds for ground state energies, via the Feynman-Kac formula. The upper bounds are obtained by writing the action for these functional integrals in terms of stochastic integrals. The method is first illustrated in familiar quantum mechanical settings: for …
We show that the following double integral \[\int_{0}^π{\rm d}x \int_0^x {\rm d}y \frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\smash[b]{p}\cos x}\sqrt{1+\smash[b]{q\cos y}}}\]remains invariant as one trades the parameters $p$ and $q$ for $p'=\sqrt{1-p^2}$ and $q'=\sqrt{1-q^2}$ respectively. This invariance property is suggested from symmetry considerations in the operating characterstics of a semiconductor Hall-effect device.
We discuss canonical transformations in Quantum Field Theory in the framework of the functional-integral approach. In contrast with ordinary Quantum Mechanics, canonical transformations in Quantum Field Theory are mathematically more subtle due to the existence of unitarily inequivalent representations of canonical commutation relations. When one works with functional integrals, it is not immediately clear how this algebraic feature manifests itself in the formalism. Here we attack this issue by considering the canonical transformations in the context of coherent-state functional integrals. Sp…
The theory of linear Fredholm integral-functional equations of the second kind with linear functionals and with a parameter is considered. The necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for the coefficients of the equation and those parameter values, in the nighbohood of which the equation has solutions. The leading terms of the asymptotics of the solutions are constructed. The constructive method is proposed for constructing a solution both in the regular case and in the irregular one. In the regular case, the solution is constructed as a Taylor series in powers of the parameter. In the…
