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arXiv:2109.10710 · Journal of Mathematical Physics

Analytic continuation of stochastic mechanics

Folkert Kuipers

Published Apr 1, 2022• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We study a (relativistic) Wiener process on a complexified (pseudo-)Riemannian manifold. Using Nelson’s stochastic quantization procedure, we derive three equivalent descriptions for this problem. If the process has a purely real quadratic variation, we obtain the one-sided Wiener process that is encountered in the theory of Brownian motion. In this case, the result coincides with the Feyman–Kac formula. On the other hand, for a purely imaginary quadratic variation, we obtain the two-sided Wiener process that is encountered in stochastic mechanics, which provides a stochastic description of a quantum particle on a curved spacetime.

DOI
10.1063/5.0073096

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We study a (relativistic) Wiener process on a complexified (pseudo-)Riemannian manifold. Using Nelson’s stochastic quantization procedure, we derive three equivalent descriptions for this problem. If the process has a purely real quadratic variation, we obtain the one-sided Wiener process that is encountered in the theory of Brownian motion. In this case, the result coincides with the Feyman–Kac formula. On the other hand, for a purely imaginary quadratic variation, we obtain the two-sided Wiener process that is encountered in stochastic mechanics, which provides a stochastic description of a quantum particle on a curved spacetime.
We unify Brownian motion and quantum mechanics in a single mathematical framework. In particular, we show that non-relativistic quantum mechanics of a single spinless particle on a flat space can be described by a Wiener process that is rotated in the complex plane. We then extend this theory to relativistic stochastic theories on manifolds using the framework of second order geometry. As a byproduct, our results suggest that a consistent path integral based formulation of a quantum theory on a Lorentzian (Riemannian) manifold requires an Ito deformation of the Poincare (Galilean) symmetry, arising due to the coupling of the quadratic variation to the affine connection.
In the frame of Nelson stochastic quantization for dynamical systems on a manifold, we consider diffusion processes with Brownian covariance given by a Riemannian metric on the manifold. The dynamics is specified through a stochastic variational principle for a generalization of the classical action, with a given kinetic metric. The resulting programming equation, of the Hamilton-Jacobi type, depends on both metrics, the Brownian one and the kinetic one. We introduce a simple notion of compatibility between the two metrics, such that the programming equation and the continuity equation lead to the Schr\"odinger equation on the manifold.
The dynamical structure of any reasonable stochastic version of classical mechanics is investigated, including the version created by Nelson [E. Nelson, Quantum Fluctuations (Princeton U.P., Princeton, NJ, 1985); Phys. Rev. 150, 1079 (1966)] for the description of quantum phenomena. Two different theories result from this common structure. One of them is the imaginary time version of Nelson’s theory, whose existence was unknown, and yields a radically new probabilistic interpretation of the heat equation. The existence and uniqueness of all the involved stochastic processes is shown under conditions suggested by the variational approach of Yasue [K. Yasue, J. Math. Phys. 22, 1010 (1981)].
We study here the Berry phase from the point of view of stochastic quantization. The relativistic generalization of Nelson’s stochastic quantization procedure can be achieved when the Brownian motion process is taken into account in the internal space (apart from that in the external space). This effectively considers the particle as one that is stochastically extended, and nonrelativistic quantum mechanics is obtained in the sharp point limit. This can be formulated in terms of a gauge-field-theoretical extension of the particle. This inherent gauge field gives rise to the holonomy in a Hermitian line bundle, which appears as an extra phase factor in the adiabatic limit for a parameter-dependent Hamiltonian, and determines a unique connection. When the Hamiltonian is degenerate, the holonomy is defined in a complex vector bundle. In the case of a fermion, this Berry connection is found to be related to the Wess-Zumino term and can be considered to be of topological origin.