Path Integrals on Riemannian Manifolds with Symmetry and Stratified Gauge Structure

Abstract

We study a quantum system in a Riemannian manifold M on which a Lie group G acts isometrically. The path integral on M is decomposed into a family of path integrals on a quotient space Q=M/G and the reduced path integrals are completely classified by irreducible unitary representations of G. It is not necessary to assume that the action of G on M is either free or transitive. Hence the quotient space M/G may have orbifold singularities. Stratification geometry, which is a generalization of the concept of principal fiber bundle, is necessarily introduced to describe the path integral on M/G. Using it we show that the reduced path integral is expressed as a product of three factors; the rotational energy amplitude, the vibrational energy amplitude, and the holonomy factor.