Grassmann calculus, pseudoclassical mechanics, and geometric algebra

A reformulation of Grassmann calculus is presented in terms of geometric algebra—a unified language for physics based on Clifford algebra. In this reformulation, Grassmann generators are replaced by vectors, so that every product of generators has a natural geometric interpretation. The calculus introduced by Berezin [The Method of Second Quantization (Academic, New York, 1966)] is shown to be unnecessary, amounting to no more than an algebraic contraction. This approach is not only conceptually clearer, but it is also computationally more efficient, as demonstrated by treatments of the ‘‘Grauss’’ integral and the Grassmann Fourier Transform. The reformulation is applied to pseudoclassical mechanics [Ann. Phys. 104, 336 (1977)], where it is shown to lead to a new concept, the multivector Lagrangian. To illustrate this idea, the three-dimensional Fermi oscillator is reformulated and solved, and its symmetry properties discussed. As a result, a new and highly compact formula for generating super-Lie algebras is revealed. The paper ends with a discussion of quantization, outlining a new approach to fermionic path integrals.