From exact-WKB towards singular quantum perturbation theory

Singular perturbation theory

When we apply the steady-state approximation (SSA) in chemical kinetics, we typically argue that some of the intermediates are highly reactive, so that they are removed as fast as they are made. We then set the corresponding rates of change to zero. What we are saying is not that these rates are identically zero, of course, but that they are much smaller than the other rates of reaction. The st...

Geometric Singular Perturbation Theory

Perturbation Theory for Singular Potentials in Quantum Mechanics

We study perturbation theory in certain quantum mechanics problems in which the perturbing potential diverges at some points, even though the energy eigenvalues are smooth functions of the coefficient of the potential. We discuss some of the unusual techniques which are required to obtain perturbative expansions of the energies in such cases. These include a point-splitting prescription for exp...

Towards Euclidean Theory of Infrared Singular Quantum Fields

A new generalized formulation of the spectral condition is proposed for quantum fields with highly singular infrared behavior whose vacuum correlation functions are well defined only under smearing with analytic test functions in momentum space. The Euclidean formulation of QFT developed by Osterwalder and Schrader is extended to theories with infrared singular indefinite metric. The correspond...

Geometric singular perturbation theory in biological practice.

Geometric singular perturbation theory is a useful tool in the analysis of problems with a clear separation in time scales. It uses invariant manifolds in phase space in order to understand the global structure of the phase space or to construct orbits with desired properties. This paper explains and explores geometric singular perturbation theory and its use in (biological) practice. The three...