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Write $x=x_0+y$, so the fluctuation has homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions $y(0)=y(T_E)=0$. Because ${\dot{x}}_0$ is constant, the cross term in the Euclidean action vanishes exactly:ConsequentlyTranslation of each intermediate integration variable has Jacobian determinant one in the time-sliced configuration-space path integral. This is an exact classical-path factorization of a quadratic path integral, givingThe fluctuation Euclidean action, the homogeneous boundary conditions, and the measure normalization contain neither $x_i$ nor $x_f$. Hence $\mathcal{N}$ is independent of both endpoint positions. It depends on $\beta ,m,\hslash$.

With the standard position-state normalization, the Euclidean free-particle bridge amplitude isFor example, a momentum resolution gives a one-dimensional Gaussian integral,whose evaluation gives the same exponent and prefactor. In particular, the result integrates to one over $x_f$ at fixed $x_i$, as required for its heat kernel interpretation.

Continue the free-particle propagator to $t=-i\mathcal{T}$ and replace its coordinate mass by the angular inertia $I$. The Euclidean free-particle bridge amplitude at coincident endpoints isThis normalization includes the time-sliced Gaussian measure, not just a formal determinant with an unspecified multiplicative constant. Set $A=2{\pi }^{2}I/({\hslash }^2\beta )>0$. The correct Poisson summation formula is ${\sum }_{m}F(m)={\sum }_n{\int }_{-\infty }^{\infty }dxF(x)e^{-2\pi inx}$; the source PDF omits the integral sign before its $d\theta$. For $F(x)=e^{-A{x}^2+i2\pi fx}$ the Gaussian Fourier integral givesThe overall prefactor cancels exactly: $2\pi Z_0\sqrt{\pi /A}=1$, and ${\pi }^2/A=\beta {\hslash }^2/(2I)$. Hencein agreement with the angular-momentum trace. Pairing $m$ and $-m$ makes the winding expression real, and the momentum expression shows positivity. Both are periodic in flux and invariant under $f\mapsto -f$. At high temperature the zero-winding term gives $Z\simeq \sqrt{2\pi I/(\beta {\hslash }^2)}$, with exponentially small flux dependence; at low temperature the nearest integer angular-momentum state dominates, with two equal lowest terms at half-integer flux. These independent limits also check the normalization and the flux phase.