Abstract
The concepts of probability theory and quantum theory have been closely intertwined ever since these subjects were developed, and quantum theory has often been the beneficial recipient of such an interchange. Quantum theory expressed in imaginary time becomes the theory of generalized diffusion in real time and this provides useful insight in either a differential equation formulation or a path-integral formulation. More recently, covariant field theories have been re-examined in the context of imaginary time, and such Euclidean field theories have been defined by means of functional integrals for some super-renormalizable models, and, at least heuristically, have long been studied for special renormalizable models.1 Whether or not such methods will ultimately prove essential, it certainly cannot be denied that they possess an enormous appeal and provide considerable intuitive insight.
Lecture given at XIV. Internationale Universitätswochen für Kernphysik, Schladming, Austria, February 24–March 7, 1975.
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References
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Klauder, J.R. (1975). Stochastic Processes and Quantum Theory. In: Urban, P. (eds) Electromagnetic Interactions and Field Theory. Acta Physica Austriaca Supplementum XIV, vol 14/1975. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-8424-0_14
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