Do the source terms multiplying a complex field and its conjugate need to be conjugates for the Gaussian identity to hold? E.g. is
∫D(ϕ,ψ,b)e−b†Ab+f(ϕ,ϕ†,ψ,ψ†)b+b†g(ϕ,ϕ†,ψ,ψ†)=∫D(ϕ,ψ)det
valid when f \ne g^* ?
If I change to real and imaginary coordinates in the b it seems fine, but I'm worried that I'm screwing up the measure in D(...) without realizing it.
Edit:
Let's say A is a c-number. To do the integral I can write b = x +iy etc. Then the integral is
\int D(...) e^{- Ax^2 - A y^2 +x(f + g) + i y(f-g)} = \frac{\pi}{A}\int D(...) e^{(4A)^{-1}((f+g)^2 - (f-g)^2)} =\frac{\pi}{A}\int D(...) e^{A^{-1} fg}.
But then this implies that Hubbard Stratonovich transformations don't need to be of squares.. so I can decouple any interaction e^{2fg} = \int d \phi d\phi^\dagger e^{-|\phi|^2 +f\phi + \phi^\dagger g}. This can't be right?
Answer
Theorem: Given a normal^1 n\times n matrix A where {\rm Re}(A)>0 is positive definite, then the complex Gaussian integral is^2 \begin{align} I&~:=~\int_{\mathbb{R}^{2n}} \! d^nx ~d^ny~ \exp\left\{-z^{\dagger}Az +f^{\dagger}z +z^{\dagger}g\right\}\cr &~=~\exp\left\{f^{\dagger}A^{-1}g\right\}\int_{\mathbb{R}^{2n}} \! d^nx ~d^ny~ \exp\left\{-(z^{\dagger}-f^{\dagger}A^{-1})A(z-A^{-1}g)\right\}\cr &~=~\frac{\pi^n}{\det(A)}\exp\left\{f^{\dagger}A^{-1}g\right\}, \qquad z^k~\equiv~ x^k+iy^k.\end{align}
Sketched proof:
The normal matrix A=U^{\dagger}DU can be diagonalized with a unitary transformation U. Here D is a diagonal matrix with {\rm Re}(D)>0. Next change integration variables^3 w=Uz. The absolute value of the Jacobian determinant is 1. So it is enough to consider the case n=1, which we will do from now on.
There exist two complex numbers x_0,y_0\in\mathbb{C} such that^4 x_0-iy_0~=~f^{\dagger}A^{-1}\qquad\text{and}\qquad x_0+iy_0~=~A^{-1}g.
We can shift the real integration contour into the complex plane \int_{\mathbb{R}} \! dx \int_{\mathbb{R}} \! dy~ \exp\left\{-(z^{\dagger}-f^{\dagger}A^{-1})A(z-A^{-1}g)\right\} ~=~\int_{\mathbb{R}+x_0} \! dx \int_{\mathbb{R}+y_0} \! dy~ \exp\left\{-z^{\dagger}Az\right\}~=~\frac{\pi}{A}, with no new non-zero contributions arising from closing the contour, cf. Cauchy's integral theorem.\Box
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^1 The Gaussian integral is presumably also convergent for a pertinent class of non-normal matrices A, but in this answer we consider only normal matrices for simplicity.
^2 Recall that the notation \int_{\mathbb{C}^n}d^nz^{\ast} d^nz means \int_{\mathbb{R}^{2n}} \! d^nx ~d^ny up to a conventional factor, cf. my Phys.SE answer here. Here z^k \equiv x^k+iy^k and z^{k\ast} \equiv x^k-iy^k.
^3 More generally, under a holomorphic change of variables u^k+iv^k\equiv w^k=f^k(z), the absolute value of the Jacobian determinant in the formula for integration by substitution is |\det\left(\frac{\partial (u,v)}{\partial (x,y)} \right)_{2n\times 2n}|~=~ |\det\left(\frac{\partial w}{\partial z} \right)_{n\times n}|^2.
^4 The underlying philosophy in point 2 is similar to my Phys.SE answer here: One can in a certain sense treat z and z^{\dagger} as independent variables! And therefore it is possible to consider OP's case where f,g\in\mathbb{C}^n are independent complex constants.
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