Path Integral Methods and Applications

摘要: These lectures are intended as an introduction to the technique of path integrals and their applications in physics. The audience is mainly first-year graduate students, it assumed that reader has a good foundation quantum mechanics. No prior exposure assumed, however. The integral formulation mechanics equivalent standard formulations, offering new way looking at subject which is, arguably, more intuitive than usual approaches. Applications vast those itself, including single particle, statistical mechanics, condensed matter physics field theory. After very brief historical overview subject, we derive expression for propagator free particle harmonic oscillator examples. We then discuss variety applications, multiply-connected spaces, Euclidean perturbation theory theory, instantons via integrals. For most part, emphasis on explicit calculations familiar setting with some discussion (often schematic) how these ideas can be applied complicated situations such