Nonequilibrium perturbation theory for spin-1/2 fields

Abstract

A partial resummation of perturbation theory is described for field theories containing spin-1/2 particles in states that may be far from thermal equilibrium. This allows the nonequilibrium state to be characterized in terms of quasiparticles that approximate its true elementary excitations. In particular, the quasiparticles have dispersion relations that differ from those of free particles, finite thermal widths and occupation numbers which, in contrast to those of standard perturbation theory evolve with the changing nonequilibrium environment. A description of this kind is essential for estimating the evolution of the system over extended periods of time. In contrast to the corresponding description of scalar particles, the structure of nonequilibrium fermion propagators exhibits features which have no counterpart in the equilibrium theory.