Quantum mechanics on the half-line using path integrals
T.E. Clark, Ralph Menikoff, David H. Sharp
Abstract
T.E. Clark, Ralph Menikoff, David H. Sharp
Abstract
We study the Feynman path-integral formalism for the constrained problem of a free particle moving on the half-line. It is shown that the effect of the boundary condition at the origin can be incorporated into the path integral by a simple modification of the action. The small-time behavior of the Green's function can be obtained from the stationary-phase evaluation of our expression for the path integral, which in this case includes contributions from both the direct and reflected classical paths.
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We study the Feynman path-integral formalism for the constrained problem of a free particle moving on the half-line. It is shown that the effect of the boundary condition at the origin can be incorporated into the path integral by a simple modification of the action. The small-time behavior of the Green's function can be obtained from the stationary-phase evaluation of our expression for the path integral, which in this case includes contributions from both the direct and reflected classical paths.
Key concepts: Path integral formulation, Line integral, Formalism (music), Relation between Schrödinger's equation and the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, Feynman diagram, Physics, Classical mechanics, Functional integration