Physical Review C
Nonunitary effects in the time evolution of one-body observables
Maria Carolina Nemes, A. F. R. de Toledo Piza
Abstract
We present a formal derivation of the exact dynamics of the one-body density matrix. Its essential ingredients are shown to be the following: (a) a mean field unitary time evolution; (b) irreducible nonunitary corrections to the unitary evolution (collision effects); and (c) effects due to the time evolution of initial state correlation [which contribute to both (a) and (b)]. In the weak coupling limit the collision effects give rise to a term of Boltzmann form. A qualitative discussion of the importance of collision effects for the expectation values of one-body operators and a quantitative illustration in the framework of an exactly soluble model are given. In this case one finds large nonunitary contributions.NUCLEAR STRUCTURE Exact microscopic description of the time evolution of the one body density matrix.