Projection-operator approach to master equations for coarse-grained occupation numbers in nonideal quantum gases

Abstract

We aim at deriving an equation of motion for specific sums of momentum mode occupation numbers from models for electrons in periodic lattices experiencing elastic scattering, electron-phonon scattering, or electron-electron scattering. These sums correspond to "grains" in momentum space. This equation of motion is supposed to involve only a moderate number of dynamical variables and/or exhibit a sufficiently simple structure such that neither its construction nor its analyzation or solution requires substantial numerical effort. To this end we compute, by means of a projection operator technique, a linear(ized) collision term which determines the dynamics of the above grain sums. This collision term results as nonsingular finite-dimensional rate matrix and may thus be inverted regardless of any symmetry of the underlying model. This facilitates calculations of, e.g., transport coefficients, as we demonstrate for a three-dimensional Anderson model featuring weak disorder.