{"paper":{"title":"The real-time Feynman path integral for step potentials","license":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","headline":"","cross_cats":[],"primary_cat":"quant-ph","authors_text":"Job Feldbrugge, Ue-Li Pen","submitted_at":"2025-08-25T00:59:47Z","abstract_excerpt":"Complex (semi-)classical paths, or instantons, form an integral part of our understanding of quantum physics. Whereas real classical paths describe classically allowed transitions in the real-time Feynman path integral, classically forbidden evolution is captured by complex semi-classical paths or instantons. In this paper, we uncover the rich, intricate nature of complex semi-classical paths and interference in the Feynman propagator of a non-relativistic quantum particle in both a smooth Woods-Saxon and a discontinuous Heaviside step potential. We demonstrate that the complex semi-classical "},"claims":{"count":0,"items":[],"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"source":{"id":"2508.17578","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":null,"model_set":{},"created_at":null,"strongest_claim":"","one_line_summary":"","pipeline_version":null,"weakest_assumption":"","pith_extraction_headline":""},"integrity":{"clean":true,"summary":{"advisory":0,"critical":0,"by_detector":{},"informational":0},"endpoint":"/pith/2508.17578/integrity.json","findings":[],"available":true,"detectors_run":[],"snapshot_sha256":"c28c3603d3b5d939e8dc4c7e95fa8dfce3d595e45f758748cecf8e644a296938"},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}