15

15.1

Schwinger parametrization
Generic amplitudes

A generic Feynman diagram would give an integral of the form

L
I
ddla
1
A :=
(1)
2 + m2 ,
d
(2)
p
a=1
i=1 i
where L, I are # of loops and internal lines of the diagram, and pi
are linear combinations of la and external momenta.
The amplitude can be written as
[ I
]


I
L
d

d la
dti exp
ti(p2i + m2)
(2)
A =
d
(2)
0
a=1
i=1
i=1
A trick: inserting

1 =

(
)
ds s
ti

(3)

and rescaling ti sti, one obtains

[
]


1
L
I
I
d

d la
ds sI1
dti (
ti1) exp s
ti(p2i + m2)
d
(2) 0
0 i=1
a=1
i=1
Note that s-integration gives the Feynmans formula.
Now the la-integrals can be done. Since the exponent is
s

(la va)Mab(lb vb) sN,

(4)

a,b=1

one obtains

) 1
(
1

1
N 2 LdI
.
I Ld
dti (
ti 1)
2
det M
0
ti are called the Schwinger parameters.
1

(5)

15.2

A relativistic particle

The Schwinger parametrization is based on the formula

1
t(p2 +m2 )
=
dt
e
.
p2 + m2
0
Consider an action of a point particle

[
]
1
dt e(t)1(x(t)
S =
2) e(t)m2 .
2
e(t) is called the einbein. The equations of motion are
d
[e(t)1x(t)]

= 0,
dt
e(t)2x(t)
2 + m2 = 0.

(6)

(7)

(8)
(9)

The action is invariant under t = t(t) if e(t) transforms as

dt
e(t) =
e(t).
(10)
dt
For a given e(t), one can always solve
dt
= e(t).
(11)
dt
a suitable t(t) such that
e(t) = 1.

(12)

In this new coordinate system, one finds

x(t) = 0,
x(t)
2 + m2 = 0.

(13)
(14)

Therefore, S is the action of a free particle. The Hamiltonian is

1
H = (p2 + m2)
(15)
2
where p = x.
Eq.(14) is the on-shell condition.
2

15.3

The propagator in quantum mechanics

Consider quantum mechanics of the previous system.

Note: The proper time t is chosen to be the time, not x0.
The wave function for a state | is given as

(x, t) =
d4y x|etH |yy|.
Indeed,

(x, t) =
t

(16)

d4y x|H etH |yy|

d4y x|etH |yy|

= H

is the (Wick-rotated) Schrodinger equation.

x|etH |y describes the propagation from y to x.

x|etH |y =
d4p x|etH |pp|y

d4p ip(xy) 1 t(p2+m2)

e
e 2
=
.
4
(2)

(17)

(18)

The time interval between y and x may be arbitrary. Therefore

d4p ip(xy) 1
tH
dt x|e |y = 2
e
.
(19)
4
2 + m2
(2)
p
0
This is the (Wick-rotated) propagator (x, y) in QFT.
If | = |k, then

dt k (x, t) =
0

2
(2)2

d4p eipxei(kp)y

1
1
(20)
(2)4 p2 + m2

15.4

Quantum mechanical Feynman rules

There is a QM version of the Feynman rules.

For each Feynman diagram,
1. assign xi to each vertex, and put g,
2. assign yi to the end of each external line, and put
eikiyi ,

(21)

where ki is the external momentum.

3. put
1
xi|etij H |xj
2
to each internal line connecting xi and xj ,

(22)

4. multiply the symmetry factor, and

5. integrate all xi, yi over R4 and tij from 0 to .
One can check that this is equivalent to the Feynman rules obtained
previously.
This explicitly shows that the QFT describes relativistic point
particles with mass m interacting among them by local interactions, as we expected at the beginning.

References

[1] Itzykson, Zuber, Quantum Field Theory, Chapter 6.