Relativistic Quantum Transport Theory

Relativistic quantum transport theory has begun to play an important role in the space-time description of matter under extreme conditions of high energy density in out-of-equilibrium situations. The following introductory lectures on some of its basic concepts and methods comprise the sections: 1. Introduction; 2. Aims of transport theory (classical); 3. Quantum mechanical distribution functions - the density matrix and the Wigner function; 4. Transport theory for quantum fields; 5. Particle production by classical fields; 6. Fluid dynamics of relativistic quantum dust.Comment: Lectures presented at PASI "New States of Matter in Hadronic Interactions", Campos do Jordao, Brazil, Jan.7-18, 2002. - 19 pages; LaTe

Time without time: a stochastic clock model

We study a classical reparametrization-invariant system, in which ``time'' is not a priori defined. It consists of a nonrelativistic particle moving in five dimensions, two of which are compactified to form a torus. There, assuming a suitable potential, the internal motion is ergodic or more strongly irregular. We consider quasi-local observables which measure the system's ``change'' in a coarse-grained way. Based on this, we construct a statistical timelike parameter, particularly with the help of maximum entropy method and Fisher-Rao information metric. The emergent reparametrization-invariant ``time'' does not run smoothly but is simply related to the proper time on the average. For sufficiently low energy, the external motion is then described by a unitary quantum mechanical evolution in accordance with the Schr\"odinger equation.Comment: 18 pages; LaTeX. 4 (.ps) plus 2 (.gif) figure file

Collective Modes in Neutrino `Beam' Electron-Positron Plasma Interactions

We derive semiclassical neutrino-electron transport equations in the collisionless (Vlasov) limit from the coupled Dirac equations, incorporating the charged and neutral weak current-current as well as electromagnetic interactions. A corresponding linear response theory is derived. In particular, we calculate the response functions for a variety of beam-plasma geometries, which are of interest in a supernova scenario. We apply this to the study of plasmons and to a new class of collective {\it pharon} resonance modes, which are characterized by $\omega < q$. We find that the growth rates of the unstable modes correspond to a strongly temperature ($\propto T_\nu^2T_e^3$) and linearly momentum dependent e-folding length of about $10^{10}$ km under typical conditions for Type II supernovae. This appears to rule out such long-wavelength collective modes as an efficient means of depositing neutrino energy into the plasma sphere.Comment: 27 pages; LaTex. Replaced by published version. - Appendix about neutrino Wigner functions added and main text correspondingly revised. Conclusions unchange

The Functional Derivation of Master Equations

Master equations describe the quantum dynamics of open systems interacting with an environment. They play an increasingly important role in understanding the emergence of semiclassical behavior and the generation of entropy, both being related to quantum decoherence. Presently we derive the exact master equation for a homogeneous scalar Higgs or inflaton like field coupled to an environment field represented by an infinite set of harmonic oscillators. Our aim is to demonstrate a derivation directly from the path integral representation of the density matrix propagator. Applications and generalizations of this result are discussed.Comment: 10 pages; LaTex. - Contribution to the workshop Hadron Physics VI, March 1998, Florianopolis (Brazil); proceedings, E. Ferreira et al., eds. (World Scientific). Replaced by slightly modified published versio

Kinetic equation for gluons at the early stage

We derive the kinetic equation for pure gluon QCD plasma in a general way, applying the background field method. We show that the quantum kinetic equation contains a term as in the classical case, that describes a color charge precession of partons moving in the gauge field. We emphasize that this new term is necessary for the gauge covariance of the resulting equation.Comment: 6 pages, no figure, to appear in the proceedings of the 6th international conference on strange quarks in matter, Frankfurt, Germany, 25-29 september 200

Equal-Time Hierarchies in Quantum Transport Theory

We investigate in the equal-time formalism the derivation and truncation of infinite hierarchies of equations of motion for the energy moments of the covariant Wigner function. From these hierarchies we then extract kinetic equations for the physical distribution functions which are related to low-order energy moments, and show how to determine the higher order moments in terms of these lowest order ones. We apply the general formalism to scalar and spinor QED with classical background fields and compare with the results derived from the three-dimensional Wigner transformation method.Comment: 44 pages, no figure