Initial States and Time Evolution in Nonequilibrium Quantum Field Theory

✍ Scribed by R.F. Álvarez-Estrada

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 152 KB
• Volume: 785
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0375-9474
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2006.11.062

✦ Synopsis

We consider a statistical system, described by a relativistic neutral scalar massive quantum field with t-dependent mass parameter. By assumption, the system is represented at time t 0 by a nonequilibrium initial gaussian density operator ρ in,g with spatial inhomogeneities ( potentially interesting for the cosmological inflaton and, qualitatively, for relativistic plasmas). In order to describe the out-of-equilibrium time evolution for t > t 0 , as determined by ρ in,g , one requires the corresponding nonequilibrium free correlators, as a necessary step before introducing interactions. We report, in outline, the space-time structures of those free nonequilibrium correlators.