arXiv subjects

James P. Edwards

Publications and source records attributed to James P. Edwards.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Spinning Particles in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Field Theory

These are notes of lectures on spinning particles and the worldline formalism originally given by Olindo Corradini and Christian Schubert at the School on Spinning Particles in Quantum Field Theory: Worldline Formalism, Higher Spins, and Conformal Geometry, held at Morelia, Mexico, from November 19 through November 23, 2012. The lectures were addressed to graduate level students with a background in relativistic quantum mechanics and at least a rudimentary knowledge of field theory. They have since been updated to include a further set of lecture notes on tree level processes from a worldline perspective based on a mini-course by James P. Edwards at the Instituto de Fisica y Matematicas in Morelia, Mexico given to graduates and visiting professors during July 2017 and in various later classes, complemented by a series of three lectures titled New techniques for amplitude calculation in QED given by Naser Ahmadiniaz at the Center for Relativistic Laser Science (CoReLS), Institute for Basic Science(IBS), November 2015, Gwangju, South Korea and as an invited lecturer at the Helmholtz International Summer School (HISS) - Dubna International Advanced School of Theoretical Physics (DIAS-TH): 'Quantum Field Theory at the Limits: from Strong Fields to Heavy Quarks', July-August 2019, Dubna, Russia. These additional notes complete the picture of first quantised techniques and bring the worldline description up to date. The extended Abstract can be found in the manuscript.

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arXiv2021

Non-perturbative Quantum Propagators in Bounded Spaces

We outline a new approach to calculating the quantum mechanical propagator in the presence of geometrically non-trivial Dirichlet boundary conditions based upon a generalisation of an integral transform of the propagator studied in previous work (the so-called ``hit function''), and a convergent sequence of Padé approximants. In this paper the generalised hit function is defined as a many-point propagator and we describe its relation to the sum over trajectories in the Feynman path integral. We then show how it can be used to calculate the Feynman propagator. We calculate analytically all such hit functions in $D=1$ and $D=3$ dimensions, giving recursion relations between them in the same or different dimensions and apply the results to the simple cases of propagation in the presence of perfectly conducting planar and spherical plates. We use these results to conjecture a general analytical formula for the propagator when Dirichlet boundary conditions are present in a given geometry, also explaining how it can be extended for application for more general, non-localised potentials. Our work has resonance with previous results obtained by Grosche in the study of path integrals in the presence of delta potentials. We indicate the eventual application in a relativistic context to determining Casimir energies using this technique.

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arXiv2021

New Techniques for Worldline Integration

The worldline formalism provides an alternative to Feynman diagrams in the construction of amplitudes and effective actions that shares some of the superior properties of the organization of amplitudes in string theory. In particular, it allows one to write down integral representations combining the contributions of large classes of Feynman diagrams of different topologies. However, calculating these integrals analytically without splitting them into sectors corresponding to individual diagrams poses a formidable mathematical challenge. We summarize the history and state of the art of this problem, including some natural connections to the theory of Bernoulli numbers and polynomials and multiple zeta values.

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arXiv2021

Worldline master formulas for the dressed electron propagator, part 2: On-shell amplitudes

In the first part of this series, we employed the second-order formalism and the ``symbol'' map to construct a particle path-integral representation of the electron propagator in a background electromagnetic field, suitable for open fermion-line calculations. Its main advantages are the avoidance of long products of Dirac matrices, and its ability to unify whole sets of Feynman diagrams related by permutation of photon legs along the fermion lines. We obtained a Bern-Kosower type master formula for the fermion propagator, dressed with $N$ photons, in terms of the ``$N$-photon kernel,'' where this kernel appears also in ``subleading'' terms involving only $N$-$1$ of the $N$ photons. In this sequel, we focus on the application of the formalism to the calculation of on-shell amplitudes and cross sections. Universal formulas are obtained for the fully polarised matrix elements of the fermion propagator dressed with an arbitrary number of photons, as well as for the corresponding spin-averaged cross sections. A major simplification of the on-shell case is that the subleading terms drop out, but we also pinpoint other, less obvious simplifications. We use integration by parts to achieve manifest transversality of these amplitudes at the integrand level and exploit this property using the spinor helicity technique. We give a simple proof of the vanishing of the matrix element for ``all $+$'' photon helicities in the massless case, and find a novel relation between the scalar and spinor spin-averaged cross sections in the massive case. Testing the formalism on the standard linear Compton scattering process, we find that it reproduces the known results with remarkable efficiency. Further applications and generalisations are pointed out.

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arXiv2021

N-photon amplitudes in a plane-wave background

We use the worldline formalism to derive master formulas for the one-loop N-photon amplitudes in a plane-wave background, for both scalar and spinor QED. This generalises previous work by Ilderton and Torgrimsson for the vacuum polarisation case, although with some change in methodology since, instead of evaluating the path integral on the semi-classical trajectory, we use the special kinematics of the plane-wave background to uncover the crypto-gaussian character of this type of worldline path integral.

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arXiv2021

Resummation of background-collinear corrections in strong field QED

Scattering processes in laser backgrounds are degenerate to the emission of unobservable photons collinear with the laser. We identify processes and observables for which such degeneracies factorise and exponentiate, obtaining the leading-order intensity dependence of these inclusive observables at high laser intensity, correct to all orders in the fine-structure constant (all loops, all emissions). The results show an exponential intensity dependence distinct from that predicted by the Narozhny-Ritus conjecture on the high-intensity behaviour of quantum electrodynamics in strong fields.

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arXiv2020

Non-perturbative gauge transformations of arbitrary fermion correlation functions in quantum electrodynamics

We study the transformation of the dressed electron propagator and the general $N$-point functions under a change in the covariant gauge of internal photon propagators. We re-establish the well known Landau-Khalatnikov-Fradkin transformation for the propagator and generalise it to arbitrary correlation functions in configuration space, finding that it coincides with the analogous result for scalar fields. We comment on the consequences for perturbative application in momentum-space.

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arXiv2020

The Generalised LKF Transformations for Arbitrary $N$-point Fermion Correlators

We examine the non-perturbative gauge dependence of arbitrary configuration space fermion correlators in quantum electrodynamics (QED). First, we study the dressed electron propagator (allowing for emission or absorption of any number of photons along a fermion line) using the first quantised approach to quantum field theory and analyse its gauge transformation properties induced by virtual photon exchange. This is then extended to the $N$-point functions where we derive an exact, generalised version of the fully non-perturbative Landau-Khalatnikov-Fradkin (LKF) transformation for these correlators. We discuss some general aspects of application in perturbation theory and investigate the structure of the LKF factor about $D = 2$ dimensions.

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arXiv2020

Worldline master formulas for the dressed electron propagator, part 1: Off-shell amplitudes

In the first-quantised worldline approach to quantum field theory, a long-standing problem has been to extend this formalism to amplitudes involving open fermion lines while maintaining the efficiency of the well-tested closed-loop case. In the present series of papers, we develop a suitable formalism for the case of quantum electrodynamics in vacuum (part one and two) and in a constant external electromagnetic field (part three), based on second-order fermions and the symbol map. We derive this formalism from standard field theory, but also give an alternative derivation intrinsic to the worldline theory. In this first part, we use it to obtain a Bern-Kosower type master formula for the fermion propagator, dressed with $N$ photons, in terms of the "$N$-photon kernel," where off-shell this kernel appears also in "subleading" terms involving only $N-1$ of the $N$ photons. Although the parameter integrals generated by the master formula are equivalent to the usual Feynman diagrams, they are quite different since the use of the inverse symbol map avoids the appearance of long products of Dirac matrices. As a test we use the $N=2$ case for a recalculation of the one-loop fermion self energy, in $D$ dimensions and arbitrary covariant gauge, reproducing the known result. We find that significant simplification can be achieved in this calculation choosing an unusual momentum-dependent gauge parameter.

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arXiv2019

Quantum mechanical path integrals in the first quantised approach to quantum field theory

Perturbative quantum field theory usually uses second quantisation and Feynman diagrams. The worldline formalism provides an alternative approach based on first quantised particle path integrals, similar in spirit to string perturbation theory. Here we review the history, main features and present applications of the formalism. Our emphasis is on recent developments such as the path integral representation of open fermion lines, the description of colour using auxiliary worldline fields, incorporation of higher spin, and extension of the formalism to non-commutative space.

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arXiv2019

Worldline formalism for a confined scalar field

The worldline formalism is a useful scheme in quantum field theory which has also become a powerful tool for numerical computations. The key ingredient in this formalism is the first quantization of an auxiliary point-particle whose transition amplitudes correspond to the heat-kernel of the operator of quantum fluctuations of the field theory. However, to study a quantum field which is confined within some boundaries one needs to restrict the path integration domain of the auxiliary point-particle to a specific subset of worldlines enclosed by those boundaries. We show how to implement this restriction for the case of a scalar field confined to the $D$-dimensional ball under Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions, and compute the first few heat-kernel coefficients as a verification of our construction. We argue that this approach could admit different generalizations.

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arXiv2019

Massless Rarita-Schwinger field from a divergenceless anti-symmetric-tensor spinor of pure spin-$3/2$

We construct the Rarita-Schwinger basis vectors, $U^μ$, spanning the direct product space, $U^μ:=A^μ\otimes u_M$, of a massless four-vector, $ A^μ$, with massless Majorana spinors, $u_M$, together with the associated field-strength tensor, ${\mathcal T}^{μν}:=p^μU^ν-p^νU^μ$. The ${\mathcal T}^{μν}$ space is reducible and contains one massless subspace of a pure spin-$3/2$ $\in (3/2,0)\oplus (0,3/2)$. We show how to single out the latter in a unique way by acting on ${\mathcal T}^{μν}$ with an earlier derived momentum independent projector, ${\mathcal P}^{(3/2,0)}$, properly constructed from one of the Casimir operators of the algebra $so(1,3)$ of the homogeneous Lorentz group. In this way it becomes possible to describe the irreducible massless $(3/2,0)\oplus (0,3/2)$ carrier space by means of the anti-symmetric-tensor of second rank with Majorana spinor components, defined as $\left[ w^{(3/2,0) }\right]^{μν}:=\left[{\mathcal P}^{(3/2,0)}\right]^{μν}\,\,_{γδ}{\mathcal T}^{γδ}$. The conclusion is that the $(3/2,0)\oplus (0,3/2)$ bi-vector spinor field can play the same role with respect to a $U^μ$ gauge field as the bi-vector, $(1,0)\oplus (0,1)$, associated with the electromagnetic field-strength tensor, $F_{μν}$, plays for the Maxwell gauge field, $A_μ$. Correspondingly, we find the free electromagnetic field equation, $p^μF_{μν}=0$, is paralleled by the free massless Rarita-Schwinger field equation, $p^μ\left[ w^{(3/2,0)}\right]_{μν}=0$, supplemented by the additional condition, $γ^μγ^ν\left[ w^{(3/2,0)}\right]_{μν} =0$, a constraint that invokes the Majorana sector.

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arXiv2019

Reducible contributions to quantum electrodynamics in external fields

We consider one-particle reducible (1PR) contributions to QED and scalar QED processes in external fields, at one-loop and two-loop order. We investigate three cases in detail: constant crossed fields, constant magnetic fields, and plane waves. We find that 1PR tadpole contributions in plane waves and constant crossed fields are non-zero, but contribute only divergences to be renormalised away. In constant magnetic fields, on the other hand, tadpole contributions give physical corrections to processes at one-loop and beyond. Our calculations are exact in the external fields and we give strong and weak field expansions in the magnetic case.

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arXiv2019

Applications of the worldline Monte Carlo formalism in quantum mechanics

In recent years efficient algorithms have been developed for the numerical computation of relativistic single-particle path integrals in quantum field theory. Here, we adapt this "worldline Monte Carlo" approach to the standard problem of the numerical approximation of the non-relativistic path integral, resulting in a formalism whose characteristic feature is the fast, non-recursive generation of an ensemble of trajectories that is independent of the potential, and thus universally applicable. The numerical implementation discretises the trajectories with respect to their time parametrisation but maintains a continuous spatial domain. In the case of singular potentials, the discretised action gets adapted to the singularity through a "smoothing" procedure. We show for a variety of examples (the harmonic oscillator in various dimensions, the modified Pöschl-Teller potential, delta-function potentials, the Coulomb and Yukawa potentials) that the method allows one to obtain fast and reliable estimates for the Euclidean propagator and use them in a certain time window suitable for extracting the ground state energy. As an aside, we apply it for studying the classical limit where nearly classical trajectories are expected to dominate in the path integral. We expect the advances made here to be useful also in the relativistic case.

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arXiv2019

Integral transforms of the quantum mechanical path integral: hit function and path averaged potential

We introduce two new integral transforms of the quantum mechanical transition kernel that represent physical information about the path integral. These transforms can be interpreted as probability distributions on particle trajectories measuring respectively the relative contribution to the path integral from paths crossing a given spatial point (the hit function) and the likelihood of values of the line integral of the potential along a path in the ensemble (the path averaged potential).

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arXiv2018

$U(N)$ Yang-Mills in non-commutative space time

We present an approach to $U_\star(N)$ Yang-Mills theory in non-commutative space based upon a novel phase-space analysis of the dynamical fields with additional auxiliary variables that generate Lorentz structure and colour degrees of freedom. To illustrate this formalism we compute the quadratic terms in the effective action focusing on the planar divergences so as to extract the $β$-function for the Yang-Mills coupling constant. Nonetheless the method presented is general and can be applied to calculate the effective action at arbitrary order of expansion in the coupling constant, including both planar and non-planar contributions, and is well suited to the computation of low energy one-loop scattering amplitudes.

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arXiv2018

On the low-energy limit of the QED N-photon amplitudes: part 2

In recent work, Gies and Karbstein have discovered that the two-loop Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangians for scalar and spinor QED have non-vanishing reducible contributions in addition to the well-studied irreducible ones. This invalidates previous applications of those Lagrangians to the computation of the two-loop $N$-photon amplitudes in the low energy limit. Here we compute the corrections to those amplitudes due to the reducible contributions.

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arXiv2017

One-particle reducible contribution to the one-loop spinor propagator in a constant field

Extending work by Gies and Karbstein on the Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian, it has recently been shown that the one-loop propagator of a charged scalar particle in a constant electromagnetic field has a one-particle reducible contribution in addition to the well-studied irreducible one. Here we further generalize this result to the spinor case, and find the same relation between the reducible term, the tree-level propagator and the one-loop Euler-Heisenberg Lagrangian as in the scalar case. Our demonstration uses a novel worldline path integral representation of the photon-dressed spinor propagator in a constant electromagnetic field background.

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