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Space-Time Approach to Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

Richard Phillips Feynman
- 01 Apr 1948 - 
- Vol. 20, Iss: 2, pp 367-387
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TLDR
In this paper, the authors formulated non-relativistic quantum mechanics in a different way and showed that the probability of an event which can happen in several different ways is the absolute square of a sum of complex contributions, one from each alternative way.
Abstract
Non-relativistic quantum mechanics is formulated here in a different way. It is, however, mathematically equivalent to the familiar formulation. In quantum mechanics the probability of an event which can happen in several different ways is the absolute square of a sum of complex contributions, one from each alternative way. The probability that a particle will be found to have a path x(t) lying somewhere within a region of space time is the square of a sum of contributions, one from each path in the region. The contribution from a single path is postulated to be an exponential whose (imaginary) phase is the classical action (in units of ℏ) for the path in question. The total contribution from all paths reaching x, t from the past is the wave function ψ(x, t). This is shown to satisfy Schroedinger's equation. The relation to matrix and operator algebra is discussed. Applications are indicated, in particular to eliminate the coordinates of the field oscillators from the equations of quantum electrodynamics.

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Journal ArticleDOI

Solution of the Cauchy problem for a time-dependent Schrödinger equation

TL;DR: In this paper, an explicit solution of the Cauchy initial value problem for the n-dimensional Schrodinger equation with certain time-dependent Hamiltonian operator of a modified oscillator is presented.
Journal ArticleDOI

A path space picture for Feynman-Kac averages

TL;DR: In this paper, it was shown that for a given λV, it is possible to construct a new Markov process with continuous sample paths x(t) ≡ Y(t), the diffusive behavior of which already includes the effect of the potential in such a way that the Feynman-Kac average may be expressed in the form, f= ∫ F[Rx(·)]dν z [x( ·)]
Journal ArticleDOI

An efficient and accurate quantum lattice-gas model for the many-body Schrödinger wave equation

TL;DR: In this article, a quantum lattice-gas model for simulating the time-dependent evolution of a many-body quantum mechanical system of particles governed by the non-relativistic Schrodinger wave equation with an external scalar potential is presented.
Journal ArticleDOI

Transition amplitudes as sums over histories

W. Tobocman
- 01 Jun 1956 - 
TL;DR: In this paper, explicit sum over histories expressions for the transition amplitude are constructed on the basis of the canonical formalism of quantum mechanics, where the Hamiltonian is classical in form and quantization is carried out in terms of the commutators of operators.
Journal ArticleDOI

Spinor chain path integral for the Dirac equation

Ted Jacobson
- 21 Aug 1984 - 
TL;DR: In this article, a path integral that reduces to Feynman's checkerboard rule in one space dimension is found for the retarded Dirac propagator in three space dimensions, the only variable are two-component spinors and a binary chirality variable.