Mellin-type Functional Integrals with Applications (1501.01889v4)

Abstract: Conventional functional/path integrals used in physics are most often defined as the infinite-dimensional analog of Fourier transform. Likewise, the infinite-dimensional analog of Mellin transform also defines a class of functional integrals. The associated functional integrals are useful tools for probing non-commutative function spaces in general and $C^\ast$-algebras in particular. Functional Mellin transforms can be used to define the functional analogs of resolvents, complex powers, traces, logarithms, and determinants. Several aspects of these objects are explored and applied to various constructs in mathematical physics. As specific examples, we point out connections between functional complex powers and scattering amplitudes, construct a Mellin-based QFT generating functional, and define a parameter-dependent entropy that formally justifies the replica trick.