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arXiv:hep-th/9905090 · Progress of Theoretical Physics

Out of Equilibrium Quantum Field Theory

A. Niégawa

Published Jul 1, 1999• 21 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

This paper describes perturbative framework, on the basis of the closed-time-path formalism, in terms of quasiparticle picture for studying quasiuniform relativistic quantum field systems near equilibrium and nonequilibrium quasistationary systems. Two calculational schemes are introduced, the one is formulated on the basis of the initial-particle distribution function and the one is formulated on the basis of the ``physical''-particle distribution function. It is shown that both schemes are equivalent and lead to a generalized kinetic or Boltzmann equation. Concrete procedure of computing a generic amplitude is presented.

DOI
10.1143/ptp.102.1

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This paper describes perturbative framework, on the basis of the closed-time-path formalism, in terms of quasiparticle picture for studying quasiuniform relativistic quantum field systems near equilibrium and nonequilibrium quasistationary systems. Two calculational schemes are introduced, the one is formulated on the basis of the initial-particle distribution function and the one is formulated on the basis of the ``physical''-particle distribution function. It is shown that both schemes are equivalent and lead to a generalized kinetic or Boltzmann equation. Concrete procedure of computing a generic amplitude is presented.
Using the closed-time-path formalism, we construct perturbative frameworks, in terms of quasiparticle picture, for studying quasiuniform relativistic quantum field systems near equilibrium and non-equilibrium quasistationary systems. We employ the derivative expansion and take in up to the second-order term, i.e., one-order higher than the gradient approximation. After constructing self-energy resummed propagator, we formulated two kinds of mutually equivalent perturbative frameworks: The first one is formulated on the basis of the “bare” number density function, and the second one is formulated on the basis of “physical” number density function. In the course of construction of the second framework, the generalized Boltzmann equations directly come out, which describe the evolution of the system.
Quasiparticle descriptions of nonequilibrium physics hold the promise of tracking the relevant degrees of freedom in calculations of statistical systems, as well as providing an important formal perspective on quantum field theories away from equilibrium.A formulation of nonequilibrium, quasiparticle field theory is presented here.The Schwinger closed time path generating functional and generalized sources are used to develop schematic field theories which can be adapted to real problems.The importance of the source method for effective nonequilibrium theories is argued and the physical interpretation of the formalism is discussed, including its possible applicability to biological dynamics.
Within the closed-time-path formalism, a perturbative method is presented, which reduces the microscopic field theory to the quantum kinetic theory. In order to make this reduction, the expectation value of a physical quantity must be calculated under the condition that the Wigner distribution function is fixed, because it is the independent dynamical variable in the quantum kinetic theory. It is shown that when a nonequilibrium Green function in the form of the generalized Kadanoff-Baym ansatz is utilized, this condition appears as a cancellation of a certain part of contributions in the diagrammatic expression of the expectation value. Together with the quantum kinetic equation, which can be derived in the closed-time-path formalism, this method provides a basis for the kinetic-theoretical description.
This is the first of a series of papers which describe the functional-integral approach to the study of the statistical and kinetic properties of nonequilibrium quantum fields in flat and curved spacetimes. In this paper we treat a system of self-interacting bosons described by \ensuremath{\lambda}${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ scalar fields in flat space. We adopt the closed-time-path (CTP or ``in-in'') functional formalism and use a two-particle irreducible (2PI) representation for the effective action. These formalisms allow for a full account of the dynamics of quantum fields, and put the correlation functions on an equal footing with the mean fields. By assuming a thermal distribution we recover the real-time finite-temperature theory as a special case. By requiring the CTP effective action to be stationary with respect to variations of the correlation functions we obtain an infinite set of coupled equations which is the quantum-field-theoretical generalization of the Bogoliubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy. Truncation of this series leads to dissipative characteristics in the subsystem. In this context we discuss the nature of dissipation in interacting quantum fields.To one-loop order in a perturbative expansion of the CTP effective action, the 2PI formalism yields results equivalent to the leading 1/N expansion for an O(N)-symmetric scalar field. To higher-loop order we introduce a two-time approximation to separate the quantum-field effects of radiative correction and renormalization from the statistical-kinetic effects of collisions and relaxation. In the weak-coupling quasiuniform limit, the system of nonequilibrium quantum fields can subscribe to a kinetic theory description wherein the propagators are represented in terms of relativistic Wigner distribution functions. From a two-loop calculation we derive the Boltzmann equation for the distribution function and the gap equation for the effective mass of the quasiparticles. One can define an entropy function for the quantum gas of quasiparticles which satisfies the H theorem. We also calculate the limits to the validity of the binary collision approximation from a three-loop analysis. The theoretical framework established here can be generalized to nonconstant background fields and for curved spacetimes.
It is well known that physical particles are thermally dissipative at finite temperature. In this paper we reformulate both the equilibrium and nonequilibrium thermal field theories in terms of stable quasiparticles. We will redefine the thermal doublets, the double tilde conjugation rules and the thermal Bogoliubov transformations so that our theory can be consistent for most general situations. All operators, including the dissipative physical particle operators, are realized in a Fock space defined by the stable quasiparticles. The propagators of the physical particles are expressed in terms of the operators of such stable quasiparticles, which is a simple diagonal matrix with the diagonal elements being the temporal step functions, same as the propagators in the usual quantum field theory without thermal degrees of freedom. The proper self-energies are also expressed in terms of these stable quasiparticle propagators. This formalism inherits the definition of on-shell self-energy in the usual quantum field theory. With this definition, a self-consistent renormalization is formulated which leads to quantum Boltzmann equation and the entropy law. With the aid of a doublet vector algebra we have an extremely simple recipe for computing Feynman diagrams. We apply this recipe to several examples of equilibrium and nonequilibrium two-point functions, and to the kinetic equation for the particle numbers.
Non-equilibrium evolution at absolute temperature T and approach to equilibrium of statistical systems in long-time (t) approximations, using both hierarchies and functional integrals, are reviewed. A classical non-relativistic particle in one spatial dimension, subject to a potential and a heat bath (hb), is described by the non-equilibrium reversible Liouville distribution (W) and equation, with a suitable initial condition. The Boltzmann equilibrium distribution Weq generates orthogonal (Hermite) polynomials Hn in momenta. Suitable moments Wn of W (using the Hn’s) yield a non-equilibrium three-term hierarchy (different from the standard Bogoliubov–Born–Green–Kirkwood–Yvon one), solved through operator continued fractions. After a long-t approximation, the Wn’s yield irreversibly approach to equilibrium. The approach is extended (without hb) to: (i) a non-equilibrium system of N classical non-relativistic particles interacting through repulsive short range potentials and (ii) a classical ϕ4 field theory (without hb). The extension to one non-relativistic quantum particle (with hb) employs the non-equilibrium Wigner function (WQ): difficulties related to non-positivity of WQ are bypassed so as to formulate approximately approach to equilibrium. A non-equilibrium quantum anharmonic oscillator is analyzed differently, through functional integral methods. The latter allows an extension to relativistic quantum ϕ4 field theory (a meson gas off-equilibrium, without hb), facing ultraviolet divergences and renormalization. Genuine simplifications of quantum ϕ4 theory at high T and large distances and long t occur; then, through a new argument for the field-theoretic case, the theory can be approximated by a classical ϕ4 one, yielding an approach to equilibrium.