Quantum mechanical path integrals in the first quantised approach to quantum field theory
High Energy Physics - Theory
2019-12-23 v1 High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Quantum Physics
Abstract
Perturbative quantum field theory usually uses second quantisation and Feynman diagrams. The worldline formalism provides an alternative approach based on first quantised particle path integrals, similar in spirit to string perturbation theory. Here we review the history, main features and present applications of the formalism. Our emphasis is on recent developments such as the path integral representation of open fermion lines, the description of colour using auxiliary worldline fields, incorporation of higher spin, and extension of the formalism to non-commutative space.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1912.10004,
title = {Quantum mechanical path integrals in the first quantised approach to quantum field theory},
author = {James P. Edwards and Christian Schubert},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1912.10004},
year = {2019}
}
Comments
13 Pages, 3 figures. Technical Report to be published in the proceedings of the workshop "Path Integration in Complex Dynamical Systems," Leiden, 6 Feb - 10 Feb 2017