The Ehrenfest model: a path-integral for spin

The Ehrenfest model, formulated as a continuous time Markov chain, is a representation of a spin with length j in a magnetic field. The equivalence is shown by the introduction of a Feynman-Kac functional on the sample paths of the Markov chain. A transformation is used to calculate the functional leading to the solution of a path-integral for spin without reference to coherent states.     

Causal structure of the thermal propagator in real-time formalisms

Within the path-integral approach and the thermal field dynamics we study thefull equilibrium fermion propagator. We clarify its representation in terms of the proper selfenergy. As an example we examine a fermion field coupled to an external gauge field.     

Binding energy of triton and scattering lengths in neutron-deuteron collision in Faddeev formalism with local potential

A separable representation for the off-shell two-body t-matrix for a local Hulthén potential is presented, in which deuteron states are chosen as the expansion bases. Using the Faddeev equations with these t-matrices as input, the ground state energy of the triton and doublet and quartet scattering lengths in neutron-deuteron scattering, have been computed. The results have been compared with the experimental findings and the theoretical results of Sitenko et al. obtained in the Sturmian function representation with the same Hulthén potential.     

Structural and response functions at equilibrium in path-integral quantum simple fluids

A discussion on the physical meaning of the r-space structures that can be defined in path-integral quantum simple fluids far from exchange is presented by making the connection with their associated experimentally measurable properties in k-space (response functions). The role played in this issue by weak external fields acting on the fluid is examined by considering both the standard quantum treatment of neutron scattering and the path-integral functional analysis approach. For the sake of completeness, the same discussion is presented for the approximate Gaussian Feynman-Hibbs effective potential picture that can be derived from the path-integral, and also the structural interrelations between both formalisms are stated. To illustrate the points addressed in this paper results for liquid helium-4 at 4.2 K (SVP), obtained with the use of the Aziz-Slaman and the ab initio SAPT2 pair potentials, are reported.     

Scattering of neutrons on a Bose condensate

The spectrum of noncondensate excitations in neutron scattering on bosons is obtained in the framework of the Bogoliubov models both for liquid ⁴He and a dilute gas. The problem is solved using a path-integral representation of the partition function of the system. We describe the influence of scattering of neutrons on a Bose condensate in a stationary (time-independent) picture in the Gibbs equilibrium ensemble. This influence is a stationary boson response, and it depends on the initial neutron momentum k, transfer momentum p, and the neutron-boson interaction λ, which is related to the scattering length. The contribution of the neutrons to the initial Bogoliubov spectrum is found to be important for “quasi-elastic” scattering on the noncondensate, while the contribution of deep inelastic scattering is small; no contribution from elastic scattering on the Bose condensate is found. In the case of liquid Helium, the response is unlikely to be observable for all values p. On the other hand, for a gas one may expect a visible effect, in particular for a small momentum transfer p and a small density of the Bose condensate ϱ.     

Dressed coordinates: The path-integral approach

The recently introduced dressed coordinates are studied in the path-integral approach. These coordinates are defined in the context of a harmonic oscillator linearly coupled to massless scalar field and it is shown that in this model the dressed coordinates appear as a coordinate transformation preserving the path-integral functional measure. The analysis also generalizes the sum rules established in a previous work.     

Supersymmetry in stochastic processes with higher-order time derivatives

A supersymmetric path-integral representation is developed for stochastic processes whose Langevin equation contains any number N of time derivatives, thus generalizing the presently available treatment of first-order Langevin equations by Parisi and Sourlas [Phys. Rev. Lett. 43 (1979) 744; Nucl. Phys. B 206 (1982) 321] to systems with inertia (Kramers' process) and beyond. The supersymmetric action contains N fermion fields with first-order time derivatives whose path integral is evaluated for fermionless asymptotic states.     

Approximate construction of the scattering amplitude from Mandelstam representation and elastic unitarity

An approximate expression for the scattering amplitude is derived from the Mandelstam representation and the elastic unitarity. To demonstrate our procedure in the relativistic case we considerπ-N scattering, omitting spin and isospin for simplicity. Non-relativistic potential scattering is discussed in detail.     

Low-energy elastic scattemng of pions by the deuteron

The problem of the elastic scattering of pions by a deuteron is considered using the separable representation of the two-body t-matrix. The Faddeev equations are reduced to a set of one-dimensional integral equations by separating the angular variables. The dependence of the π-d scattering length on the form of two-body interaction and on the values of the π-N scattering lengths is studied in the case of a one-term nonlocal potential with separable variables. The π-d scattering length proves to be practically independent of the two-body interaction form, and is essentially dependent on the values of the π-N scattering lengths.     

Eikonal expansion in electron scattering: I. Elastic scattering

A systematic eikonal expansion for the scattering of high-energy electrons from nuclei is derived which starts from the iterated Dirac equation. The resulting scattering amplitude is written in an impact parameter representation depending on eikonal phases which are proportional to inverse powers of the energy. The first two correction terms to the leading Glauber-Baker amplitude are calculated. For a Coulomb potential they agree with a sinθ-expansion of the relativistic Coulomb scattering amplitude. In the case of scattering from an extended charge distribution at sufficiently high energies numerical partial wave calculations are accurately reproduced.     

On calculating scattering phase shifts by the generator coordinate method

The generator coordinate equations for scattering phase shifts are solved for α-α scattering. Calculations are made in the coordinate representation and the results agree well with those obtained by a more laborious procedure which is formulated in the momentum representation. The results disagree with another calculation in the coordinate representation, where the scattering boundary condition is introduced less accurately.     

The eikonal approximation and E(2) invariance

A group theoretic interpretation is given for the eikonal approximation in potential scattering. This is based upon the approximate invariance at high energies under translations and rotations in the transverse scattering plane; that is, symmetry under the group E(2). The Lippman-Schwinger equation is formulated in a set of basis states which transform invariantly under irreducible representations of E(2) and the solution for the eikonal Hamiltonian, together with lowest order (Saxon-Schiff) corrections is obtained within this basis. A formulation of unitarity in the impact-parameter representation, based upon the E(2) invariance is given. The “geometrical” interpretation of this representation, in connection with the eikonal approximation, is made clear by our approach.     

A new representation of the interaction between an atom and an intense elliptically polarized electromagnetic field

A new representation of the interaction between a laser field and an atom is obtained. The Fourier component of the interaction is represented as a multipole expansion dependent on the force parameter of the field, a ₀=F/ω², and the degree of its ellipticity, η. This representation provides the analytical separation of the angles in the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The stationary spherically symmetric part of the potential V ₀(r, a ₀, η) of a “field-dressed” atom is singled out. The application of the new representation to the calculation of nonlinear effects and electron scattering by an atom in a field are discussed     

Path integral quantization and the ground-state wave functional for multiplier scalar-vector field systems

With the help of path-integral quantization and Fradkin's approach, we obtain a new representation in the Schrödinger picture of the multiplier scalar-vector fields and the ground-state functional. We show that the model is equivalent to free scalar fields with the same mass.     

High-density phenomena in hydrogen plasma

A novel path-integral representation of the many-particle density operator is presented which makes direct Fermionic path-integral Monte Carlo simulations feasible over a wide range of parameters. The method is applied to compute the pressure, energy, and pair distribution functions of a hydrogen plasma in the region of strong coupling and strong degeneracy. Our numerical results allow one to analyze the atom and molecule formation and breakup and predict, at high density, proton ordering and pairing of electrons.     

Functional representation of a non-Markovian probability distribution in statistical mechanics

A path-integral representation of the statistical probability density function for a generalized non-linear and non-markovian Langevin equation is obtained.     

The quantum transverse spin-2 Ising model with a bimodal random-field in the pair approximation

In this paper, we have investigated the bimodal random-field spin-2 Ising system in a transverse field by combining the pair approximation with the discretized path-integral representation. The exact equations for the second-order phase transition lines and tricritical points are obtained in terms of the random field H, the transverse field G and the coordination number z. It is found that there are some critical values for H and G where the tricritical points disappear for given z. We have also observed that the system presents reentrant behavior which may be caused by the quantum effects and randomness. The phase diagram with respect to the random field and the second-order phase transition temperature are studied extensively for given values of the transverse field and the coordination number.     

Nonperturbative quark dynamics in a baryon

The field-correlator method is used to calculate nonperturbative dynamics of quarks in a baryon. The general expression for the 3q Green’s function is obtained using the Fock-Feynman-Schwinger (world-line) path-integral formalism, where all dynamics is contained in the 3q Wilson loop with spin-field insertions. Using the lowest cumulant contribution for the Wilson loop, one obtains a Y-shaped string potential vanishing at the string-junction position. Using the einbein formalism for the quark kinetic terms, one automatically obtains constituent quark masses, calculable through the string tension. The resulting effective action for 3q plus Y-shaped strings is quantized in the path-integral formalism to produce two versions of Hamiltonian: one is in the c.m. and the other is in the light-cone system. The hyperspherical formalism is used to calculate masses and wave functions. Simple estimates in the lowest approximation yield baryon masses in good agreement with experiment without fitting parameters.     

The Triton from the Reid93 Potential in the UPA

The unitary pole approximation (UPA) provides an effective means to construct a rank one separable potential for calculations in which one requires a simple representation of the deuteron and/or triton ground-state wave function. By construction the deuteron wave function and the ¹S₀ anti-bound state wave function of the original potential are reproduced. We report results for the corresponding triton ground state. We choose to utilize the realistic Reid93 potential for this purpose. The Reid93 potential, generated by the Nijmegen group, is a Reid-like, partial-wave local potential that produces a χ² representation of the nucleon–nucleon (NN) scattering data that is as precise as an NN partial-wave analysis. Results for properties of ²H and ³H from the UPA are compared with those for the original potential. To further illustrate the precision of the method, results for properties of the deuteron and triton from the UPA are also compared with those for the original Reid68 potential.     

Effective action for strongly correlated electron systems

The su(2|1) coherent-state path-integral representation of the partition function of the t-J model of strongly correlated electrons is derived at finite doping. The emergent effective action is compared to the one proposed earlier on phenomenological grounds by Shankar to describe holes in an antiferromagnet [R. Shankar, Nucl. Phys. B 330 (1990) 433]. The t-J model effective action is found to have an important “extra” factor with no analogue in Shankar?s action. It represents the local constraint of no double electron occupancy and reflects the rearrangement of the underlying phase-space manifold due to the presence of strong electron correlation. This important ingredient is shown to be essential to describe the physics of strongly correlated electron systems.