Dissipative time evolution of observables in non-equilibrium statistical quantum systems

We discuss differential– versus integral–equation based methods describing out–of thermal equilibrium systems and emphasize the importance of a well defined reduction to statistical observables. Applying the projection operator approach, we investigate on the time evolution of expectation values of linear and quadratic polynomials in position and momentum for a statistical anharmonic oscillator with quartic potential. Based on the exact integro-differential equations of motion, we study the first and naive second order approximation which breaks down at secular time-scales. A method is proposed to improve the expansion by a non–perturbative resummation of all quadratic operator correlators consistent with energy conservation for all times. Motion cannot be described by an effective Hamiltonian local in time reflecting non-unitarity of the dissipative entropy generating evolution. We numerically integrate the consistently improved equations of motion for large times. We relate entropy to the uncertainty product, both being expressible in terms of the observables under consideration. Received: 21 July 1998 / Revised version: 28 September 1998 / Published online: 2 November 1998     

Vibrational spectrum of topologically disordered systems

The topological nature of the disorder of glasses and supercooled liquids strongly affects their high-frequency dynamics. In order to understand its main features, we analytically studied a simple topologically disordered model, where the particles oscillate around randomly distributed centers, interacting through a generic pair potential. We present results of a resummation of the perturbative expansion in the inverse particle density for the dynamic structure factor and density of states. This gives accurate results for the range of densities found in real systems.     

Universal relations for the strongly-interacting Fermi gas

Shina Tan has derived some universal relations that hold for any state of a system consisting of fermions with two spin states that have a large scattering length. These relations involve an intensive quantity called the contact that measures the number of pairs of atoms that are very close together. We show how these relations can be derived in the framework of quantum field theory using standard renormalization methods and the operator product expansion. They allow the contact density to be identified as the expectation value of a local operator constructed out of quantum fields.     

Covariant quantization of gauge fields without Gribov ambiguity

Recently Parisi and Wu proposed a method of quantizing gauge fields whereby euclidean expectation values are obtained by relaxation to equilibrium of a stochastic process depending on an artificial fifth time parameter. In the present work the equilibrium distribution is determined directly, without reference to the artificial time, by a stationary condition which is an eigenfunction equation in the euclidean Hilbert space. The solution has a perturbative expansion which appears renormalizable by naive power counting. Because of gauge freedom, a free dimensionless gauge parameter appears in the theory although no gauge condition such as ? · A = 0 is imposed.     

A non-perturbative approach to the infrared problem in QED: Construction of charged states

A non-perturbative treatment of the infrared problem in quantum electrodynamics is presented. Starting from the local and covariant correlation functions of the Gupta-Bleuler formulation an explicit construction of the physical charged states is given. They are shown to satisfy a non-(Lorentz) covariant infrared condition, of Bloch-Nordsieck type, compatible with the Gupta-Bleuler condition (resolution of Zwanziger's paradox). The breaking of the Lorentz group in the charged sectors and its physical meaning is explained. The infrared structure of the S-matrix elements between physical charged states is shown to be that of the classical Bloch-Nordsieck factors, (proof of the Bloch-Nordsieck ansatz), and to be simply related to that calculated by using local covariant states.     

Life-times of quantum resonances through the Geometrical Phase Propagator Approach

We employ the recently introduced Geometric Phase Propagator Approach (GPPA) (Diakonos et al., 2012) to develop an improved perturbative scheme for the calculation of life times in driven quantum systems. This incorporates a resummation of the contributions of virtual processes starting and ending at the same state in the considered time interval. The proposed procedure allows for a strict determination of the conditions leading to finite life times in a general driven quantum system by isolating the resummed terms in the perturbative expansion contributing to their generation. To illustrate how the derived conditions apply in practice, we consider the effect of driving in a system with purely discrete energy spectrum, as well as in a system for which the eigenvalue spectrum contains a continuous part. We show that in the first case, when the driving contains a dense set of frequencies acting as a noise to the system, the corresponding bound states acquire a finite life time. When the energy spectrum contains also a continuum set of eigenvalues then the bound states, due to the driving, couple to the continuum and become quasi-bound resonances. The benchmark of this change is the appearance of a Fano-type peak in the associated transmission profile. In both cases the corresponding life-time can be efficiently estimated within the reformulated GPPA approach.     

Resummation of Mass Terms in Perturbative Massless Quantum Field Theory

The neutral massless scalar quantum field Φ in four-dimensional space-time is considered, which is subject to a simple bilinear self-interaction. Is is well-known from renormalization theory that adding a term of the form to the Lagrangean has the formal effect of shifting the particle mass from the original zero value to m after resummation of all two-leg insertions in the Feynman graphs appearing in the perturbative expansion of the S-matrix. However, this resummation is accompanied by some subtleties if done in a proper mathematical manner. Although the model seems to be almost trivial, is shows many interesting features which are useful for the understanding of the convergence behavior of perturbation theory in general. Some important facts in connection with the basic principles of quantum field theory and distribution theory are highlighted, and a remark is made on possible generalizations of the distribution spaces used in local quantum field theory. A short discussion how one can view the spontaneous breakdown of gauge symmetry in massive gauge theories within a massless framework is presented.      

The dilepton-production cross section in principal value resummation

Using a recent calculation of the perturbative hard part for dilepton production that sums large threshold corrections to all orders in perturbative QCD, we compute the corresponding cross sections. The hard part has been evaluated using principal value resummation and contains all singular momentum-dependent corrections. We also include a resummation of large Sudakov terms, which are independent of parton momenta. We give predictions for the dilepton-mass distribution, the rapidity distribution and the rapidity-integrated K-factor at fixed-target energies and compare with various experimental results in several kinematic regimes. We find that principal value resummation produces cross sections that are finite and well-behaved. For both protons and anti-protons on fixed targets, the resummed cross sections are, in general, in excellent agreement with the data.     

HERA data and DGLAP evolution: Theory and phenomenology

We examine critically the evidence for deviations from next-to-leading order perturbative DGLAP evolution in HERA data. We briefly review the status of perturbative small-x resummation and of global determinations of parton distributions. We show that the geometric scaling properties of HERA data are consistent with DGLAP evolution, which is also strongly supported by the double asymptotic scaling properties of the data. However, backward-evolution of parton distributions into the low x  , low Q²$Q^2$ region does show evidence of deviations between the observed behaviour and the next-to-leading order predictions. These deviations cannot be explained by missing next-to-next-to-leading order perturbative terms, and are consistent with perturbative small-x resummation.     

Effects of temperature on the relaxation to equilibrium and stationary nonequilibrium states of some Langevin systems

We investigate the effects of temperature on the properties of the time relaxation to equilibrium and nonequilibrium steady states of correlation functions of some Langevin harmonic systems. We consider commonly used dissipative and conservative Langevin dynamics, and show that the time relaxation rate depends on the temperature in the case of thermal reservoirs at different temperatures connected to the system, but it does not happen in the case of relaxation to equilibrium, i.e., if all the heat bath are at the same temperature. Our formalism maps the initial stochastic problem on a noncanonical quantum field theory, and the calculations of the relaxation rates are based on a perturbative analysis. We argue to show the reliability of the perturbative computation.     

Perturbative relations between e+e− annihilation and τ decay observables including resummation effects

By exploiting the analyticity properties of the two-point current-current correlator we obtain numerical predictions for the e⁺e⁻ moments in terms of the τ decay rate. We perform a partial resummation of the pertinent perturbative series expansion by solving the renormalization group equation for Adler's function. Our predictions are renormalization scheme independent but depend on the order of the perturbative β-function expansion. The analysis involves the unknown five-loop coefficient k₃ for which we give some new estimates.     

Hot electron relaxation in one-dimensional models: exact polaron dynamics versus relaxation in the presence of a Fermi sea

We present the exact solution for the time evolution of the electron and phonon momentum distribution for a one-dimensional polaron model with alinear electronic energy dispersion. The electron momentum distribution is shown to obey aMarkovian quantum kinetic equation. Numerical results for the polaron model are compared to the corresponding exact results, when the negative momentum states are filled in the initial state. The presence of this Fermi sea modifies the dynamics except in the short time regime. The different, long time dynamics might show up in comparison of hot electron relaxation of undoped and doped semiconductors.     

Microlocal Analysis and¶Interacting Quantum Field Theories:¶Renormalization on Physical Backgrounds

We present a perturbative construction of interacting quantum field theories on smooth globally hyperbolic (curved) space-times. We develop a purely local version of the Stückelberg–Bogoliubov–Epstein–Glaser method of renormalization by using techniques from microlocal analysis. Relying on recent results of Radzikowski, K?hler and the authors about a formulation of a local spectrum condition in terms of wave front sets of correlation functions of quantum fields on curved space-times, we construct time-ordered operator-valued products of Wick polynomials of free fields. They serve as building blocks for a local (perturbative) definition of interacting fields. Renormalization in this framework amounts to extensions of expectation values of time-ordered products to all points of space-time. The extensions are classified according to a microlocal generalization of Steinmann scaling degree corresponding to the degree of divergence in other renormalization schemes. As a result, we prove that the usual perturbative classification of interacting quantum field theories holds also on curved space-times. Finite renormalizations are deferred to a subsequent paper. As byproducts, we describe a perturbative construction of local algebras of observables, present a new definition of Wick polynomials as operator-valued distributions on a natural domain, and we find a general method for the extension of distributions which were defined on the complement of some surface. Received: 31 March 1999 / Accepted: 10 June 1999     

Dynamical mass generation in BRS invariant theories

The problem of the origin of the gauge particle's mass is considered in the framework of the BRS symmetry. A new approach is suggested where the global gauge group symmetry of the quantum theory is hidden by the condensation of bound states of the ghost fields in the perturbative vacuum. Dynamical mass generation for the gauge fields follows the Schwinger mechanism.     

Dynamics of driven Brownian inverted oscillator

In this paper, we derive the quantum Langevin equation for a driven Brownian inverted oscillator in the framework of the Heisenberg picture for the Caldeira-Leggett model. We describe the influence of an arbitrary time-dependent force on an open inverted oscillator dynamics. We take into account environment through the integral operator of relaxation and the force correlation function. The resulting behavior of the system is represented as a combination the time evolution of the position expectation and the variance, being induced simultaneously by spreading the wave packet and the chaotic Brownian motion. We discuss the possibility of stabilization of an open inverted oscillator, when applying external alternating force.     

Role of quantum fluctuations in a system with strong fields: Spectral properties and thermalization

In a previous work [arXiv:1009.4363], we have studied the evolution of a scalar field with a quartic coupling, driven by a classical source that initializes it to a non-perturbatively large value. At leading order in the coupling, the evolution of this system is given by classical solutions of the field equation of motion. However, this system is subject to a parametric resonance that leads to secular divergences in higher-order corrections to physical observables. We have proposed a scheme that resums all the leading secular terms: this resummation leads to finite results at all times, and we have observed also that it makes the pressure tensor of the system relax to its equilibrium value.In the present paper, we continue the study of this system by looking at finer details of its dynamics. We first compute its spectral function at various stages of the evolution, and we observe that after a fairly short transient time there are well-defined massive quasi-particles. We then consider the time evolution of the momentum distribution of these quasi-particles, and we show that after a stage dominated by the parametric resonance, this distribution slowly evolves to an equilibrium distribution. Interestingly, this distribution develops a transient chemical potential, signaling the fact that number changing processes are much slower than the elastic ones.     

Determination of the strange quark mass from Cabibbo-suppressed tau decays with resummed perturbation theory in an effective scheme

We present an analysis of the -corrections to Cabibbo-suppressed -lepton decays employing contour improved resummation within an effective scheme which is an essential new feature as compared to previous analyses. The whole perturbative QCD dynamics of the -system is described by the -function of the effective coupling constant and by two -functions for the effective mass parameters of the strange quark in different spin channels. We analyze the stability of our results with regard to high-order terms in the perturbative expansion of the renormalization group functions. A numerical value for the strange quark mass in the scheme is extracted: $m_s(M_\tau)=130\pm 27_{\mathrm{{exp}}}\pm 9_{\mathrm{{th}}}{\mathrm{ MeV}}$. After running to the scale this translates into . Received: 1 October 2000 / Revised version: 22 February 2001 / Published online: 18 May 2001     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis>-quasispin formalism in polarization optics

The polarization (P) quasispin formalism that ensures the effective analysis of the polarization of arbitrary quantum light fields is justified. New conceptual and operational characteristics of the polarization states of quantum radiation, as well as the transformations of their polarization dynamics, are determined within the framework of this approach.