Millington P. Thermal Quantum Field Theory and Perturbative Non-Equilibrium Dynamics

Springer International Publishing, 2014 — 215p. — (Springer Theses) — ISBN: 978-3-319-01186-8 (eBook), 978-3-319-37754-4 (Softcover), 978-3-319-01185-1 (Hardcover).The author develops a new perturbative formalism of non-equilibrium thermal quantum field theory for non-homogeneous backgrounds. As a result of this formulation, the author is able to show how so-called pinch singularities can be removed, without resorting to ad hoc prescriptions, or effective resummations of absorptive effects. Thus, the author arrives at a diagrammatic approach to non-equilibrium field theory, built from modified Feynman rules that are manifestly time-dependent from tree level. This new formulation provides an alternative framework in which to derive master time evolution equations for physically meaningful particle number densities, which are valid to all orders in perturbation theory and to all orders in gradient expansion. Once truncated in a loop-wise sense, these evolution equations capture non-equilibrium dynamics on all time-scales, systematically describing energy-violating processes and the non-Markovian evolution of memory effectsIntroduction to Part I
Classical Prerequisites
Quantum Statistical Mechanics
Correlation Functions
Imaginary Time Formalism
Scalar Field Theory
Introduction to Part II
The CTP Formalism
Non-Homogeneous Backgrounds
The Thermodynamic Equilibrium Limit
Absence of Pinch Singularities
Number Density of Particles
Master Time Evolution Equations
Non-Homogeneous Loop Integrals
Thermalization of a Heavy Scalar
Conclusions