Nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum fields

We consider the nonequilibrium evolution of an O(N)-symmetric scalar quantum field theory using a systematic two-particle irreducible 1/N-expansion to next-to-leading order, which includes scattering and memory effects. The corresponding ``full Kadanoff-Baym equations'' are solved numerically without further approximations. This allows one to obtain a controlled nonperturbative description of far-from-equilibrium dynamics and the late-time approach to quantum thermal equilibr...

The dynamics of soft ($|\vec{p}|\sim g^2 T$) non-Abelian gauge fields at finite temperature is non-perturbative. The effective theory for the soft fields can be obtained by first integrating out the momentum scale T, which yields the well known hard thermal loop effective theory. Then the latter is used to integrate out the scale gT. One obtains a Boltzmann equation, which can be solved in a leading logarithmic approximation. The resulting effective theory for the soft fields...

This chapter [of a supplement to Prog. Theo. Phys.] reviews numerical simulations of quantum field theories based on stochastic quantization and the Langevin equation. The topics discussed include renormalization of finite step-size algorithms, Fourier acceleration, and the relation of the Langevin equation to hybrid stochastic algorithms and hybrid Monte Carlo.

For open quantum systems, the Gaussian environmental dissipative effect can be represented by statistical quasi-particles, namely, dissipatons. We exploit this fact to establish the dissipaton thermofield theory. The resulting generalized Langevin dynamics of absorptive and emissive thermofield operators are effectively noise-resolved. The system-bath entanglement theorem is then readily followed between an important class of nonequilibrium steady-state correlation functions....

We study nonequilibrium fluctuation theorems in the presence of a time-reversal symmetry-breaking field and nonconservative forces, in a stochastic as well as a deterministic set up. We consider a system and a heat bath, called the combined system, and show that the fluctuation theorems are valid even when the heat bath goes out of equilibrium during driving. The only requirement for the validity is that, when the driving is switched off, the combined system relaxes to a stat...

The effects of the initial temperature in the out of equilibrium quantum field dynamics in the presence of an homogeneous external field are investigated. We consider an initial thermal state of temperature T for a constant external field J. A subsequent sign flip of the external field, J to -J, gives rise to an out of equilibrium nonperturbative quantum field dynamics. The dynamics is studied here for the symmetry broken lambda(Phi^2)^2 scalar N component field theory in the...

We study the time evolution of correlation functions in closed quantum systems for nonequilibrium ensembles of initial conditions. For a scalar quantum field theory we show that generic time-reversal invariant evolutions approach equilibrium at large times. The calculation provides a first principles justification of Boltzmann's conjecture that the large-time behavior of isolated macroscopic systems can be described by thermal ensemble averages.

We study the effects of integrability breaking perturbations on the non-equilibrium evolution of many-particle quantum systems. We focus on a class of spinless fermion models with weak interactions. We employ equation of motion techniques that can be viewed as generalizations of quantum Boltzmann equations. We benchmark our method against time dependent density matrix renormalization group computations and find it to be very accurate as long as interactions are weak. For smal...

The possibility of maintaining entanglement in a quantum system at finite, even high, temperatures -- the so-called `hot entanglement' -- has obvious practical interest, but also requires closer theoretical scrutiny. Since quantum entanglement in a system evolves in time and is continuously subjected to environmental degradation, a nonequilibrium description by way of open quantum systems is called for. To identify the key issues and the contributing factors that may permit `...

We consider the time evolution of systems in which a spatially homogeneous scalar field is coupled to fermions. The quantum back-reaction is taken into account in one-loop approximation. We set up the basic equations and their renormalization in a form suitable for numerical computations. The initial singularities appearing in the renormalized equations are removed by a Bogoliubov transformation. The equations are then generalized to those in a spatially flat Friedmann-Robert...