Path integrals on finite sets

We construct an analogue of the Feynman path integral for the case of % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaeyOeI0YaaS% aaaeaacaaIXaaabaGaamyAaaaadaWcaaqaaiabgkGi2cqaaiabgkGi% 2kaadshaaaqeduuDJXwAKbYu51MyVXgaiuaacqWFvpGAcaWG0bGaey% ypa0JaamisamaaBaaaleaacaGGOaaabeaakmaaBaaaleaacaGGPaaa% beaakiab-v9aQjaadshaaaa!4A8D!\ - \frac{1}{i}\frac{\partial }{{\partial t}}\varphi t = H_( _) \varphi t\] in which H ₍₎ is a self-adjoint operator in the space L ²(M)= % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaeSOaHmkaaa!3744!\\mathbb{C}\], where _M is a finite set, the paths being functions of % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaeSyhHekaaa!375D!\\mathbb{R}\] with values in M. The path integral is a family of measures F _t,t with values in the operators on L ²(M), or equivalently, a family of complex measures corresponding to matrix coefficients.It is shown that these measures on path space are in some sense dominated by the measure of a Markov process. This implies that F _t,t is concentrated on the set of step functions St,t].This allows one to make sense of, and prove, the analogue of Feynman's formula for the propagator of the Hamiltonian H=H ₀+V, where V is a potential, namely the formula: % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+-% feaafiart1ev1aaatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn% hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr% 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9% vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x% fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaaeyzamaaCa% aaleqabaGaeyOeI0IaamyAaiaacIcacaWG0bGaai4jaiabgkHiTiaa% dshacaGGPaGaamisaaaakiabg2da9maapebabaGaaeyzamaaCaaale% qabaGaeyOeI0IaamyAamaapedabaGaamOvaiaacIcatCvAUfKttLea% ryqr1ngBPrgaiuGacqWF4baEcaGGOaGaam4CaiaacMcacaGGPaGaae% izaiaabohaaWqaaiaadshaaeaacaWG0bGaai4jaaGdcqGHRiI8aaaa% kiaadAeadaWgaaWcbaGaamiDaiaacEcacaGGSaGaamiDaaqabaGcca% GGOaGaaeizaiab-Hha4jaacMcaaSqaaiaadofacaGGBbGaamiDaiaa% cYcacaWG0bGaai4jaiaac2faaeqaniabgUIiYdaaaa!6410!\{\text{e}}^{ - i(t' - t)H} = \int_{St,t']} {{\text{e}}^{ - i\int_t^{t'} {V(x(s)){\text{ds}}} } F_{t',t} ({\text{d}}x)} \]and the corresponding formulas for the matrix coefficients, in which the integral extends over the paths beginning and ending in the appropriate points. We show that the measures F _t,t are completely determined by these equations and by a certain multiplicative property.The path integral corresponding to a two-particle system without interaction is the direct product of the corresponding path integrals. The propagator for a two-particle system with interaction can be obtained by repeated integration.Finally, we show that the above integral formula can be generalized to the case where the potential is time dependent.