Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Symmetry in Maxwell's Equations01:28

Symmetry in Maxwell's Equations

4.5K
Once the fields have been calculated using Maxwell's four equations, the Lorentz force equation gives the force that the fields exert on a charged particle moving with a certain velocity. The Lorentz force equation combines the force of the electric field and of the magnetic field on the moving charge. Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force law together encompass all the laws of electricity and magnetism. The symmetry that Maxwell introduced into his mathematical framework may not be...
4.5K
State Function, Exact and Inexact Differentials01:27

State Function, Exact and Inexact Differentials

81
A state function is a thermodynamic property that depends solely on the current state of a system, irrespective of its history or how it arrived at that state. These functions are represented by capital letters, such as U, H, and S, which stand for internal energy, enthalpy, and entropy, respectively.For instance, the value of internal energy depends on the system's state variables and remains unaffected by the process path. This means that whether the system underwent a linear process or a...
81
Differential Form of Maxwell's Equations01:17

Differential Form of Maxwell's Equations

1.4K
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) was one of the significant contributors to physics in the nineteenth century. He is probably best known for having combined existing knowledge of the laws of electricity and the laws of magnetism with his insights to form a complete overarching electromagnetic theory, represented by Maxwell's equations. The four basic laws of electricity and magnetism were discovered experimentally through the work of physicists such as Oersted, Coulomb, Gauss, and...
1.4K
Integration by Parts: Indefinite Integrals01:26

Integration by Parts: Indefinite Integrals

441
Integration by parts is a fundamental technique in calculus for evaluating integrals involving the product of two functions. It is particularly useful when direct integration is not feasible. The method is based on the product rule for differentiation, which states that the derivative of a product equals the derivative of the first function times the second, plus the first function times the derivative of the second. By integrating this identity and rearranging terms, the integration by parts...
441
Integration by Parts: Definite Integrals01:23

Integration by Parts: Definite Integrals

152
Definite integrals involving the product of two functions over a fixed interval can be evaluated using integration by parts. This method rewrites the integral as the difference of a product evaluated at the endpoints and a remaining definite integral that is often simpler to compute.A representative example is the definite integral of the inverse tangent function. Since there is no direct integration formula for arctan ⁡x, the integrand is rewritten as a product of arctan⁡ x and the...
152
Euler's Equations of Motion01:28

Euler's Equations of Motion

1.1K
In fluid mechanics, shear stresses arise from viscosity, which represents a fluid's internal resistance to deformation. For low-viscosity fluids, like water, these stresses are minimal, simplifying flow analysis by allowing the fluid to be treated as inviscid, or frictionless. In an inviscid fluid, shear stresses are absent, leaving only normal stresses, which act perpendicularly to fluid elements. Notably, pressure — defined as the negative of the normal stress — remains uniform across...
1.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Emergent Photons and Confinement: A Numerical Study on Z_{N} Lattice Gauge Theory.

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

Physical activity and psychosocial characteristics of individuals with and without chronic low back pain in daily life: protocol for the PRIA intensive longitudinal study.

BMJ open·2025
Same author

Influence of Precise Polymer Conjugation on Aptamer-Target Binding.

Bioconjugate chemistry·2025
Same author

Psychological risk factors and resources for low back pain intensity and back health in daily life: An ecological momentary assessment study.

Applied psychology. Health and well-being·2025
Same author

Application of carbon and nitrogen stable isotope and elemental composition data for <i>Ricinus communis</i> sample comparison and correlation.

The Analyst·2025
Same author

Phases of Theories with Z_{N} 1-Form Symmetry, and the Roles of Center Vortices and Magnetic Monopoles.

Physical review letters·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
07:46

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Published on: November 15, 2013

9.0K

Complexified Path Integrals, Exact Saddles, and Supersymmetry.

Alireza Behtash1,2, Gerald V Dunne3, Thomas Schäfer1

  • 1Department of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.

Physical Review Letters
|January 23, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Semiclassical path integral analysis requires complex configurations and actions, even with real parameters. Including complex saddle points is crucial for accurate results in quantum mechanics, especially in supersymmetric theories.

More Related Videos

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
06:42

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs

Published on: June 8, 2018

9.8K
Isotopic Effect in Double Proton Transfer Process of Porphycene Investigated by Enhanced QM/MM Method
05:51

Isotopic Effect in Double Proton Transfer Process of Porphycene Investigated by Enhanced QM/MM Method

Published on: July 19, 2019

6.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
07:46

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models

Published on: November 15, 2013

9.0K
Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs
06:42

Generation and Coherent Control of Pulsed Quantum Frequency Combs

Published on: June 8, 2018

9.8K
Isotopic Effect in Double Proton Transfer Process of Porphycene Investigated by Enhanced QM/MM Method
05:51

Isotopic Effect in Double Proton Transfer Process of Porphycene Investigated by Enhanced QM/MM Method

Published on: July 19, 2019

6.7K

Area of Science:

  • Theoretical Physics
  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Supersymmetry

Background:

  • Semiclassical approximations in quantum mechanics often rely on real-valued paths and actions.
  • Supersymmetric quantum mechanics provides a framework to explore fundamental properties of quantum systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the necessity of complexification in semiclassical path integral analysis.
  • To identify and analyze complex saddle points in supersymmetric quantum mechanics.
  • To demonstrate the impact of complex saddles on spectral properties and supersymmetry constraints.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of path integrals using two illustrative examples from supersymmetric quantum mechanics.
  • Identification and characterization of new exact complex saddle points.
  • Comparison of semiclassical expansions with and without complex saddle point contributions.

Main Results:

  • Semiclassical path integral analysis necessitates complex configuration spaces and actions, even for real parameters.
  • New exact complex saddle points were discovered.
  • Excluding complex saddles leads to conflicts with spectral properties and supersymmetry constraints.
  • Generic saddles can be complex, multivalued, and singular, unlike real, smooth instantons.

Conclusions:

  • Complex saddle points are essential for a consistent semiclassical analysis of path integrals in quantum mechanics.
  • The multivaluedness of the action can be linked to a quantized topological angle in supersymmetric theories.
  • The findings are applicable to both supersymmetric and nonsupersymmetric theories.