Unfolding a reflected interval trajectory Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-13
Reflecting an interval repeatedly across its endpoints maps a reflected path to a free path in an image interval. A return trajectory from ends at after an even number of wall reflections, or after an odd number. An infinite square well has reflection amplitude , so the corresponding Dirichlet heat kernel on an interval is the difference of direct and mirrored free kernels. Individual straight paths illustrate the geometry; the path integral sums all time-sliced paths with the same endpoints.
Vacuum projection by imaginary time 2026-10-06
Long imaginary-time evolution multiplies an energy eigenstate by . After normalization it projects onto the lowest energy component with nonzero initial overlap, or onto the lowest-energy subspace if the vacuum is degenerate. This provides vacuum boundary conditions for a path integral and is related to the Feynman i-epsilon prescription.
Ward identity contact terms 2026-10-07
Localizing an infinitesimal symmetry inside a normalized path integral turns current conservation into a distributional identity. The variation of each inserted field contributes a delta function at that insertion. The displayed sign uses ; the opposite current convention reverses the left side. Measure anomalies or noninvariant boundary states can add terms.
Zero-dimensional scalar field theory 2026-10-05
A scalar field with no spacetime coordinates reduces its path integral to an ordinary integral. It preserves Wick contractions and Feynman-diagram symmetry factors, making it a useful model of perturbative quantum field theory.