Multi-time equations are evolution equations involving several time variables, one for each particle. Such equations have been considered for the purpose of making theories manifestly Lorentz invariant. We compare their status and significance in classical and quantum physics.
Multi-time wavefunctions are of particular interest in relativistic quantum mechanics. A multitime wavefunction has separate time-variables for each particle; this makes it a manifestly Lorentz-invariant object. The time-evolution equations are systems of Schroedinger equations; one for each particle's time variable and each with a certain Hamiltonian. We derive conditions under which these systems of equations have a common solution. Also, we derive three main results about concrete multi-time models. First we show that a model proposed by Duerr and Tumulka in 2001 is inconsistent. The second result is a consistent model for a constant number of particles with a cutoff pair potential. The third result is a consistent theory for a simple quantum field theoretic model with creation and annihilation of particles. Existence and uniqueness of solutions is proven for both models.
The main aim of this note is to show that the formalism of multi-time equations in quantum mechanics meant to represent a manifestly Lorentz-invariant theory suffers from at least three imperfections: (1) It does not cover those physical systems for which the Schrödinger picture of quantum mechanics does not exist. (2) The integrabiliy condition which has been proposed in the formalism does not imply as necessary that for every partial Hamiltonian there exists a Schrödinger equation. (3) The formalism does not generally allow for interactions even in a non-relativistic multi-particle quantum system.
In non-relativistic quantum mechanics of N particles in three spatial dimensions, the wave function ψ ( q 1 , ..., q N , t ) is a function of 3 N position coordinates and one time coordinate. It is an obvious idea that in a relativistic setting, such functions should be replaced by ϕ (( t 1 , q 1 ), ..., ( t N , q N )), a function of N space-time points called a multi-time wave function because it involves N time variables. Its evolution is determined by N Schrödinger equations, one for each time variable; to ensure that simultaneous solutions to these N equations exist, the N Hamiltonians need to satisfy a consistency condition. This condition is automatically satisfied for non-interacting particles, but it is not obvious how to set up consistent multi-time equations with interaction. For example, interaction potentials (such as the Coulomb potential) make the equations inconsistent, except in very special cases. However, there have been recent successes in setting up consistent multi-time equations involving interaction, in two ways: either involving zero-range ( δ potential) interaction or involving particle creation and annihilation. The latter equations provide a multi-time formulation of a quantum field theory. The wave function in these equations is a multi-time Fock function, i.e., a family of functions consisting of, for every n = 0, 1, 2, ..., an n -particle wave function with n time variables. These wave functions are related to the Tomonaga–Schwinger approach and to quantum field operators, but, as we point out, they have several advantages.
The present work deals with the idea of a multi-time wave function, i.e. a wave function with N space-time arguments for N particles. Firstly, a careful derivation of the necessity of multi-time wave functions in relativistic quantum mechanics is given and a general formalism is developed. Secondly, the physical meaning of multi-time wave functions is discussed in connection with realistic relativistic quantum theories, in particular the "Hypersurface Bohm-Dirac" model. Thirdly, a first interacting model for multi-time wave functions of two Dirac particles in 1+1 space-time dimensions is constructed. Interaction is achieved by means of boundary conditions on configuration space-time, a mechanism closely related to zero-range physics. This is remarkable, as a restrictive consistency condition rules out various types of interaction and consequently no rigorous interacting model was known before. Fourthly, the model is extended to more general types of interaction and to the N-particle case. Higher dimensions are also discussed. Finally, the "Two-Body Dirac equations" of constraint theory are placed within the context of the multi-time formalism. In particular, the question of probability conservation is critically discussed, leading to further implications both for fundamental and applied questions.
Theories of modern physics are based on dynamical equations that describe the evolution of particles and waves in space and time. In classical physics, particles and waves are described by different equations, but this distinction disappears in quantum physics, which is predominantly based on wave-like equations. The main purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive review of all known classical and quantum linear wave equations for scalar wavefunctions, and to discuss their origin and applications to a broad range of physical problems.
In a recent work (Petrat and Tumulka 2013 arXiv:1309.0802), we have described a formulation of a model quantum field theory in terms of a multi-time wave function and proposed a suitable system of multi-time Schrödinger equations governing the evolution of that wave function. Here, we provide further evidence that multi-time wave functions provide a viable formulation of relevant quantum field theories by describing a multi-time formulation, analogous to the one in Petrat and Tumulka (2013 arXiv:1309.0802), of another model quantum field theory. This model involves three species of particles, say x-particles, anti-x-particles, and y-particles, and postulates that a y-particle can decay into a pair consisting of an x and an anti-x particle, and that an x–anti-x pair, when they meet, annihilate each other creating a y-particle. (Alternatively, the model can also be interpreted as representing beta decay.) The wave function is a multi-time version of a time-dependent state vector in Fock space (or rather, the appropriate product of Fock spaces) in the particle-position representation. We write down multi-time Schrödinger equations and verify that they are consistent, provided that an even number of the three particle species involved are fermionic.