Quantum Kinetic Equations
Klaus Morawetz
Abstract
Abstract The gradient approximations of the Kadanoff and Baym equations are derived up to first order. The off-shell motions responsible for the satellites are shown to ensure causality. The cancellation of off-shell motions from the drift and correlation part of the reduced density provides a precursor of the kinetic equation for the quasiparticle distribution which leads to a functional between reduced and quasiparticle distribution, named the extended quasiparticle picture. Virial corrections appear as internal gradients in the selfenergy and therefore in the considered processes. With this extended quasiparticle picture, the non-Markovian kinetic equations are transformed into Markovian ones for proper defined quasiparticles without neglect showing the exact cancellation of off-shell parts. Alternative approaches are discussed for comparison.