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For a free massive Proca field in the mostly-plus Minkowski metric, the covariant inverse of the quadratic action and the canonical time-ordered product of vector potentials differ locally. With Fourier transform $e^{iq\cdot (x-y)}$, the covariant Proca propagator is $-i({\eta }_{ab}+q_a{q}_b/m^2)/(q^2+m^2-i0)$, while the literal canonical two-point correlation function subtracts $i{\delta }_a^0{\delta }_b^0/m^2$ in momentum space. The time component is nondynamical; its physical-mode numerator is $|\mathbf{q}{|}^2/m^2$, rather than $-1+(q^0{)}^2/m^2$. The difference is an instantaneous Dirac delta function, not another propagating state. Both expressions agree away from coincidence. This distinction matters when identifying a covariant Green function with a canonical correlator in a constrained field theory.

A functional derivative of the source term in a Minkowski scalar field path integral inserts $i\varphi (x)$. Time-slicing identifies the resulting product with the time-ordered product of field operators. Dividing by the zero-source vacuum functional removes disconnected vacuum diagrams. The normalized formula has one factor $1/i$ for every insertion.

A time-ordered product sorts operator insertions from latest time on the left to earliest time on the right. Reordering odd fermionic operators contributes the sign of their permutation. For bosonic $A,B$, $T[A(t)B(t^{\prime })]=\theta (t-t^{\prime })A(t)B(t^{\prime })+\theta (t^{\prime }-t)B(t^{\prime })A(t)$. Vacuum expectations of free time-ordered products are evaluated by the Wick theorem.

Split a free scalar field into its annihilation and creation parts. For $x^0>y^0$, changing the product into normal ordering adds $[{\varphi }^{(+)}(x),{\varphi }^{(-)}(y)]$, the positive-frequency two-point function. For the opposite ordering interchange the two points. Their combination is the Feynman propagator, equal to the vacuum expectation of the time-ordered product. Iterating this identity gives the scalar Wick theorem.