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

Abstract

The scalar field theory with potential $V(φ)=\textstyle{\frac{1}{2}} m^2φ^2-\textstyle{\frac{1}{4}} gφ^4$ ($g>0$) 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 $-gφ^4$ 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 $Z_{\rm Herm}(λ)$ of the $λφ^4$ ($λ>0$) 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 $-gφ^4$ 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 $E_{0,\rm Herm}(-g\pm {\rm i} 0^+)$.