Coherent State Quantization of Constraint Systems

Abstract

A careful reexamination of the quantization of systems with first- and second-class constraints from the point of view of coherent-state phase-space path integration reveals several significant distinctions from more conventional treatments. Most significantly, we emphasize the importance of using path-integral measures for Lagrange multipliers which ensure that the quantum system satisfies the quantum constraint conditions. Our procedures involve no delta-functionals of the classical constraints, no need for gauge fixing of first-class constraints, no need to eliminate second-class constraints, no potentially ambiguous determinants, and have the virtue of resolving differences between canonical and path-integral approaches. Several examples are considered in detail.