Velocity of propagation in diffusional quantum theory

Wojciech De Roeck

C. Y. She, W. M. Fairbank

Robert F. Bordley

John D. Morgan, Peter Guy Wolynes

The diffusional influence functional is derived for a general heatbath, using the supersymmetric form of the diffusional path integral. This form has an action which is linear in the potential for the system, rather than quadratic as in the usual diffusional path integral, which allows integration over the heatbath degrees of freedom to form an influence functional. The derivation of the supersymmetric form is reviewed to make the paper more nearly self-contained. The connection between the influence functional and the statistical properties of the heatbath is examined, and some possible applications of the formalism are discussed.

Wencheng Wang, Cheng-Ming Chen

The propagation velocity of light in a medium is the transport velocity of the energy. According to the theory of wave motion, this velocity is also the group velocity of light. But, by using quantum theory, it is proved that the group velocity is not the instantaneous velocity of a photon, but rather the statistical average velocity of photons in a medium.

J. Amran Sussmann