Memory effects and conservation laws in the quantum kinetic evolution of a dilute Bose gas

Abstract

Using the prescription of the nonequilibrium statistical operator method, we derive a non-Markovian generalization to the kinetic theory described by Walser {\sl et al.} [Phys. Rev. A {\bf 59}, 3878 (1999)]. Quasi-particle damping and effects arising from the finite duration of a collision are introduced to include terms beyond the Born approximation. Such a self-consistent theory is shown to conserve energy to second order in the interaction strength, even in the Markov limit. This kinetic theory is applied to a simple model of a Bose gas confined in a spherical trap to study the full real-time evolution towards equilibrium. A modified form for the damping function, is seen to strongly improve the energy conservation. Based on a linear response calculation, we predict the damping rates and frequencies of the collective excitations. We demonstrate the emergence of differing time scales for damping and equilibration.