Anomalous Paths in Quantum Mechanical Path-Integrals
Abstract
We investigate modifications of the discrete-time lattice action, for a quantum mechanical particle in one spatial dimension, that vanish in the na\"ive continuum limit but which, nevertheless, induce non-trivial effects due to quantum fluctuations. These effects are seen to modify the geometry of the paths contributing to the path-integral describing the time evolution of the particle, which we investigate through numerical simulations. In particular, we demonstrate the existence of a modified lattice action resulting in paths with any fractal dimension, d_f, between one and two. We argue that d_f=2 is a critical value, and we exhibit a type of lattice modification where the fluctuations in the position of the particle becomes independent of the time step, in which case the paths are interpreted as superdiffusive L\'{e}vy flights. We also consider the jaggedness of the paths, and show that this gives an independent classification of lattice theories.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1305.2733,
title = {Anomalous Paths in Quantum Mechanical Path-Integrals},
author = {Arne L. Grimsmo and John R. Klauder and Bo-Sture K. Skagerstam},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1305.2733},
year = {2014}
}
Comments
7 pages,6 figures