Quantum Dynamics of Topological Singularities: Feynman's Influence Functional Approach

Starting from the microscopic theory of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) for the fermionic superfluids, we show that the vortex dynamics can be followed naturally by extending Feynman's influence functional approach to incorporate the transverse force. There is a striking mutual independence of the transverse and longitudinal influences: The former has the topological origin and is insensitive to details, while the latter corresponds to the well-known damping kernel depending on details.