In quantum mechanics, the free space propagator G(qf=0,qi=0;τ) can be easily calculated to be √m2πiℏτ by inserting an identity operator.
However if we use functional integral, we get G(qf=0,qi=0;τ)=∫Dqe−iℏ∫τ0dtm2˙q2=∫Dre−iℏ(S[qcl]+S[r(t)])=∫Dre−iℏS[r(t)]=∫Dreiℏ∫dtr(t)∂2tr(t)=(det where the classical trajectory q_{cl}(t)=0 due to the boundary conditions and r(t) is the fluctuation. If we solve for the eigenstates and eigenvalues of \partial_t^2: \partial_t^2 r_n(t)=\lambda_nr_n(t)with r_n(0)=r_0(\tau)=0, we get r_n(t)=\sin(n\pi t/\tau) and \lambda_n=(n\pi/\tau)^2. Therefore, we have \det(\partial_t^2)=\prod_{j=1}^{\infty}(n\pi/\tau)^2 which goes to infinity and as a result the propagator seems to go to 0.
I'm not sure where went wrong for this calculation. Any help is appreciated.
Edit: suggested by @AccidentalFourierTransform, below is the zeta function approach, which still doesn't seem to work.
for simplicity we set all the irrelevant constants to 1, and thus \lambda_n=n^2, then we have \zeta(s)=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{\lambda_n^s}=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n^{2s}} and then we need to calculate the derivative of the zeta function and then taking the limit of s goes to 0 followed by exponentiation in order to obtain the determinant.
\zeta'(s)=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}-\frac{ln\lambda_n}{n^{2s}} I tried numerically by taking s to 0 both from the real axis and the imaginary axis, but both seems to diverge, i.e the same problem remains.
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