Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / iii / Paper 81 / 3 / a / Solution

For the Hamiltonian $p^2/(2m)+V(q)$, the real-time configuration-space path integral iswith its measure defined by time slicing. Wick rotation gives the Euclidean path integral and the thermal trace.

For the infinite square well on $(0,L)$, the Dirichlet boundary conditions select the normalized energy eigenstatesThere is no $n=0$ state: the corresponding sine is identically zero. Taking the trace in this orthonormal basis gives the canonical partition function