Physical Review A

More accurate discrete-time approximation of the Feynman path integral

Daniel R. Stump

Published Jul 1, 1987• 7 citations

Abstract

A discrete-time approximation of the Feynman path integral is derived, for which the potential is approximated at each step by a quadratic polynomial; this is more accurate than the usual approximation for which the potential is approximated by a constant. This approximation is studied for several simple examples, by Monte Carlo calculations of the path integral.

DOI: 10.1103/physreva.36.365

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