Quantum Boltzmann equation for strongly correlated electrons

Abstract

Collective orders and photoinduced phase transitions in quantum matter can evolve on timescales which are orders of magnitude slower than the femtosecond processes related to electronic motion in the solid. Quantum Boltzmann equations can potentially resolve this separation of timescales, but are often constructed by assuming the existence of quasiparticles. Here we derive a quantum Boltzmann equation which only assumes a separation of timescales (taken into account through the gradient approximation for convolutions in time), but is based on a nonperturbative scattering integral, and makes no assumption on the spectral function such as the quasiparticle approximation. In particular, a scattering integral corresponding to nonequilibrium dynamical mean-field theory is evaluated in terms of an Anderson impurity model in a nonequilibrium steady state with prescribed distribution functions. This opens the possibility to investigate dynamical processes in correlated solids with quantum impurity solvers designed for the study of nonequilibrium steady states.