In quantum field theory, the Feynman/time ordered Green's function takes the form DF(p)∼1p2−m2+iϵ
Quantum mechanics is simply a quantum field theory in zero spatial dimensions, so everything here should also apply to quantum mechanics. But the correspondence is a bit obscure. At the undergraduate level, Green's functions just don't come up in quantum mechanics, because we usually talk about the propagator K(xf,tf,xi,ti)=⟨xf|U(tf,ti)|xi⟩
In a second course on quantum mechanics, we learn about scattering theory, where Green's functions are useful. But some of them are missing. The four choices in quantum field theory come from the fact that there are both positive and negative frequency solutions to relativistic wave equations like the Klein-Gordan equation, but in quantum mechanics this doesn't hold: for a positive Hamiltonian the Schrodinger equation has only positive frequency/energy solutions. So it looks like there are only two Green's functions, the retarded and advanced one, which are indeed the two commonly encountered (see here). These correspond to adding an infinitesimal damping forward and backward in time.
Are there four independent Green's functions in quantum mechanics or just two? What happened to the Feynman Green's function? Can one define it, and if so what is it good for?
Edit: see here for a very closely related question.
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