$\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric $-g\varphi^4$ theory

TL;DR

This paper develops a path-integral formulation for $ ext{PT}$-symmetric $-g ext{phi}^4$ quantum field theory in arbitrary dimensions, proposing a conjectural relation between its partition function and that of a Hermitian $ ext{phi}^4$ theory, ensuring a real energy spectrum.

Contribution

It introduces a unified path-integral approach for $ ext{PT}$-symmetric $-g ext{phi}^4$ theories in any dimension and proposes a conjecture relating their partition functions to Hermitian theories.

Findings

The conjectural relation between partition functions is valid in zero dimensions.

Semiclassical evaluation supports the relation in one dimension.

The approach ensures a real energy spectrum for the non-Hermitian theory.

Abstract

The scalar field theory with potential $V(\varphi)=\textstyle{\frac{1}{2}} m^2\varphi^2-\textstyle{\frac{1}{4}} g\varphi^4$ ($g>0$) is ill defined as a Hermitian theory but in a non-Hermitian $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric framework it is well defined, and it has a positive real energy spectrum for the case of spacetime dimension $D=1$. While the methods used in the literature do not easily generalize to quantum field theory, in this paper the path-integral representation of a $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric $-g\varphi^4$ theory is shown to provide a unified formulation for general $D$. A new conjectural relation between the Euclidean partition functions $Z^{\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}}(g)$ of the non-Hermitian $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric theory and $Z_{\rm Herm}(\lambda)$ of the $\lambda \varphi^4$ ($\lambda>0$) Hermitian theory is proposed: $\log Z^{\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}}(g)=\textstyle{\frac{1}{2}} \log Z_{\rm Herm}(-g+{\rm i} 0^+)+\textstyle{\frac{1}{2}}\log Z_{\rm Herm}(-g-{\rm i} 0^+)$. This relation ensures a real energy spectrum for the non-Hermitian $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric $-g\varphi^4$ field theory. A closely related relation is rigorously valid in $D=0$. For $D=1$, using a semiclassical evaluation of $Z^{\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}}(g)$, this relation is verified by comparing the imaginary parts of the ground-state energy $E_0^{\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}}(g)$ (before cancellation) and $E_{0,\rm Herm}(-g\pm {\rm i} 0^+)$.