Recent advances in time-resolved spectroscopies provide increasing access to collective dynamics in correlated quantum materials. However, computing the corresponding nonequilibrium two-particle correlation functions remains a major challenge. Here, by introducing a contour-dependent virtual probe field within the generalized Keldysh formalism, we propose an approach that computes such correlation functions with the vertex corrections essential for describing collective dynamics. In particular, we introduce a linear integral equation that computes the correlation functions without explicitly constructing the four-time vertex kernel, and develop its matrix-free Krylov solver based on quantics tensor trains. Combining our method with nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory, we show that the fluctuation dynamics of the order parameter in a nonequilibrium symmetry-broken state depends significantly on whether vertex corrections are included, and that the fluctuation and its decay time grow near the nonthermal critical point. Our approach thus provides a practical route for evaluating nonequilibrium correlation functions, which are emerging as key observables for characterizing states far from equilibrium.
Recent advances in time-resolved spectroscopies provide increasing access to collective dynamics in correlated quantum materials. However, computing the corresponding nonequilibrium two-particle correlation functions remains a major challenge. Here, by introducing a contour-dependent virtual probe field within the generalized Keldysh formalism, we propose an approach that computes such correlation functions with the vertex corrections essential for describing collective dynamics. In particular, we introduce a linear integral equation that computes the correlation functions without explicitly constructing the four-time vertex kernel, and develop its matrix-free Krylov solver based on quantics tensor trains. Combining our method with nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory, we show that the fluctuation dynamics of the order parameter in a nonequilibrium symmetry-broken state depends significantly on whether vertex corrections are included, and that the fluctuation and its decay time grow near the nonthermal critical point. Our approach thus provides a practical route for evaluating nonequilibrium correlation functions, which are emerging as key observables for characterizing states far from equilibrium.
Equations for correlation functions in nonequilibrium systems are derived using a generalization of the diagrammatic Keldysh method. The four field operators of the correlation function are ordered on a time contour that consists of four axes extending from -\ensuremath{\infty} to +\ensuremath{\infty} and from +\ensuremath{\infty} to -\ensuremath{\infty} (doubled Keldysh contour). For those correlation functions that may be considered as correlation functions of one-particle Green-functions' fluctuations, a closed system of equations is obtained in the case of weak interaction of the particles with the scattering system. Its structure may be related to the Langevin approach: on the left-hand side a linear operator acts on each of two pairs of the correlation-function arguments, each of these two operators being just the operator of the linearized quantum kinetic equation. The expression for the right-hand side of this equation is derived. It has the meaning of the correlation function of extraneous Langevin sources, and the equation may be called the quantum Boltzmann-Langevin equation. In the quasi-classical limit it reduces to the usual Boltzmann-Langevin equation for the particles' distribution-function fluctuations. Possible applications of the method are discussed.
In systems of indistinguishable particles, correlations between the quantum degrees of freedom can give rise to collective modes where particles behave coherently together over some correlation length and time, thereby forming quasiparticles. One example of such quasiparticle would be the π-ton [66], describing the binding of two particle-hole pairs via the exchange of momentum corresponding to the antiferromagnetic (AFM) wave vector. These quasiparticles would emerge in the vicinity of an AFM ordering instability [66, 119, 120] and nonlocal correlations are crucial to describe them. Especially, in systems out of equilibrium, nonlocality can give rise to prethermal states wherein the distribution function can be momentum-dependent [92, 119], and nonthermal exotic physics can be observed and manipulated [40, 68, 79, 84, 93, 132, 147, 157–159]. To be able to model and simulate systems out of equilibrium is a challenge. A few numerical methods such as nonequilibrium Dynamical Mean Field Theory (DMFT) [44] have been used extensively [5]. Nonequilibrium DMFT is designed to treat nonperturbatively the local time-dependent single-particle correlations. Since phenomena such as quantum criticality, high-Tc superconductivity or the creation of π-tons via light-matter coupling stem from nonlocal two-particle correlations, one needs to resort to diagrammatic extensions to DMFT [103] and other methods to effectively describe them, such as the post-processing DMFT treatment of vertex corrections, which will be introduced. The Two-Particle Self-Consistent approach (TPSC) and its variants figure among those methods that include nonlocal two-particle and single-particle correlations in a self-consistent way [121, 122]. TPSC and its variants have the ability to capture the effect of the growing spin fluctuations (paramagnons) in the self-energy when close to amagnetic phase transition leading to the breakdown of the Fermi-liquid quasiparticles at the Fermi level: this would mark the onset of a pseudo-gap [145, 152]. It fulfils the Mermin-Wagner theorem in two dimensions, the Pauli principle, and various two-particle local sum-rules [152]. In the works embodied in this thesis, numerical methods have been designed to access nonequilibrium regimes, by changing model parameters across time, allowing for nonlocal correlations to be properly included. With these new algorithms at hand, the π-tons were studied in the optical conductivity and magnetic response [119, 120] as well as spin and charge fluctuations in the 2D and 3D single-band Hubbard model [121, 122]. It is demonstrated by means of those methods that nonlocal two-particle vertex corrections can underpin prethermal states and could generate transient nonthermal states such as low-energy charge excitations associated with nonthermal negative temperatures. It is also shown that states lying close to the Fermi level control the thermalization timescale and that lattice hopping quenches changing the unit-cell dimensionality could allow one to play around with the charge and spin scattering channels.
The zero-temperature single-particle Green's function of correlated fermion models with moderately large Hilbert-space dimensions can be calculated by means of Krylov-space techniques. The conventional Lanczos approach consists of finding the ground state in a first step, followed by an approximation for the resolvent of the Hamiltonian in a second step. We analyze the character of this approximation and discuss a numerically exact variant of the Lanczos method which is formulated in the time domain. This method is extended to obtain the nonequilibrium single-particle Green's function defined on the Keldysh-Matsubara contour in the complex time plane which describes the system's nonperturbative response to a sudden parameter switch in the Hamiltonian. The proposed method will be important as an exact-diagonalization solver in the context of self-consistent or variational cluster-embedding schemes. For the recently developed nonequilibrium cluster-perturbation theory, we discuss its efficient implementation and demonstrate the feasibility of the Krylov-based solver. The dissipation of a strong local magnetic excitation into a non-interacting bath is considered as an example for applications.
The cluster perturbation theory (CPT) is one of the simplest but systematic quantum cluster approaches to lattice models of strongly correlated electrons with local interactions. By treating the interactions, in addition to the intercluster potential, as a perturbation, it is shown that the CPT can be reformulated as an all-order resummation of diagrams within standard weak-coupling perturbation theory where vertex corrections are neglected. This reformulation is shown to allow for a straightforward generalization of the CPT to the general nonequilibrium case using contour-ordered Green's functions. By solving the resulting generalized CPT equation on the discretized Keldysh-Matsubara time contour, the transient dynamics of an essentially arbitrary initial pure or mixed state can be traced. In this way, the time-dependent expectation values of one-particle observables can be obtained within an approximation that neglects spatial correlations beyond the extension of the reference cluster. The necessary computational effort is very moderate. A detailed discussion and simple test calculations are presented to demonstrate the strengths and the shortcomings of the proposed approach. The nonequilibrium CPT is systematic and is controlled in principle by the inverse cluster size. It interpolates between the noninteracting and the atomic or decoupled-cluster limit which are recovered exactly and is found to predict the correct dynamics at very short times in a general nontrivial case. The effects of initial-state correlations on the subsequent dynamics and the necessity to extend the Keldysh contour by the imaginary Matsubara branch are analyzed carefully and demonstrated numerically. It is further shown that the approach can describe the dissipation of spin and charge to an uncorrelated bath with an essentially arbitrary number of degrees of freedom.
The many-body problem is usually approached from one of two perspectives: the first originates from an action and is based on Feynman diagrams, the second is centered around a Hamiltonian and deals with quantum states and operators.The connection between results obtained in either way is made through spectral (or Lehmann) representations, well known for two-point correlation functions.Here, we complete this picture by deriving generalized spectral representations for multipoint correlation functions that apply in all of the commonly used many-body frameworks: the imaginary-frequency Matsubara and the realfrequency zero-temperature and Keldysh formalisms.Our approach separates spectral from time-ordering properties and thereby elucidates the relation between the three formalisms.The spectral representations of multipoint correlation functions consist of partial spectral functions and convolution kernels.The former are formalism independent but system specific; the latter are system independent but formalism specific.Using a numerical renormalization group method described in the accompanying paper, we present numerical results for selected quantum impurity models.We focus on the four-point vertex (effective interaction) obtained for the single-impurity Anderson model and for the dynamical mean-field theory solution of the one-band Hubbard model.In the Matsubara formalism, we analyze the evolution of the vertex down to very low temperatures and describe the crossover from strongly interacting particles to weakly interacting quasiparticles.In the Keldysh formalism, we first benchmark our results at weak and infinitely strong interaction and then reveal the rich real-frequency structure of the dynamical mean-field theory vertex in the coexistence regime of a metallic and insulating solution.
The self-energy functional theory (SFT) is generalized to describe the real-time dynamics of correlated lattice-fermion models far from thermal equilibrium. This is achieved by starting from a reformulation of the original equilibrium theory in terms of double-time Green's functions on the Keldysh-Matsubara contour. With the help of a generalized Luttinger-Ward functional, we construct a functional $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\ensuremath{\Omega}}[\ensuremath{\Sigma}]$ which is stationary at the physical (nonequilibrium) self-energy $\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ and which yields the grand potential of the initial thermal state $\ensuremath{\Omega}$ at the physical point. Nonperturbative approximations can be defined by specifying a reference system that serves to generate trial self-energies. These self-energies are varied by varying the reference system's one-particle parameters on the Keldysh-Matsubara contour. In the case of thermal equilibrium, this approach reduces to the conventional SFT. Contrary to the equilibrium theory, however, ``unphysical'' variations, i.e., variations that are different on the upper and the lower branches of the Keldysh contour, must be considered to fix the time dependence of the optimal physical parameters via the variational principle. Functional derivatives in the nonequilibrium SFT Euler equation are carried out analytically to derive conditional equations for the variational parameters that are accessible to a numerical evaluation via a time-propagation scheme. Approximations constructed by means of the nonequilibrium SFT are shown to be inherently causal, internally consistent, and to respect macroscopic conservation laws resulting from gauge symmetries of the Hamiltonian. This comprises the nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory but also dynamical-impurity and variational-cluster approximations that are specified by reference systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom. In this way, nonperturbative and consistent approximations can be set up, the numerical evaluation of which is accessible to an exact-diagonalization approach.