Random non-Hermitian action theory for stochastic quantum dynamics: from canonical to path integral quantization

Abstract We develop a theory of random non-Hermitian action that, after quantization, describes the stochastic nonlinear dynamics of quantum states in Hilbert space. Focusing on fermionic fields, we propose both canonical quantization and path integral quantization, demonstrating that these two approaches are equivalent. Using this formalism, we investigate the evolution of a single-particle Gaussian wave packet under the influence of non-Hermiticity and randomness. Our results show that specific types of non-Hermiticity lead to wave packet localization, while randomness affects the central position of the wave packet, causing the variance of its distribution to increase with the strength of the randomness.