The Aharonov–Bohm effect is formulated in terms of a constrained path integral. The path integral is explicitly evaluated in the covering space of the physical background to express the propagator as a sum of partial propagators corresponding to homotopically different paths. The interference terms are also calculated for an infinitely thin solenoid, which are found to contain the usual flux dependent shift as the dominant observable effect and an additional topological shift unnoticeable in the two slit interference experiment.
The white noise calculus originated by T. Hida is presented as a powerful tool in investigating physical and social systems. Combined with Feynman's sum-over-all histories approach, we parameterize paths with memory of the past, and evaluate the corresponding probability density function. We discuss applications of this approach to problems in complex systems and biophysics. Examples in quantum mechanics with boundaries are also given where Markovian paths are considered.
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