Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 240201 (2002) [4 pages]Complex Probabilities on RN as Real Probabilities on CN and an Application to Path IntegralsReceived 27 June 2002; published 26 November 2002 We establish a necessary and sufficient condition for averages over complex-valued weight functions on RN to be represented as statistical averages over real, non-negative probability weights on CN. Using this result, we show that many path integrals for time-ordered expectation values of bosonic degrees of freedom in real-valued time can be expressed as statistical averages over ensembles of paths with complex-valued coordinates, and then speculate on possible consequences of this result for the relation between quantum and classical mechanics. © 2002 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.240201
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.240201
PACS:
03.65.Ca, 02.30.Cj, 03.65.Ta
|
|
About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help
Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.