The rigged Hilbert space approach to the Lippmann–Schwinger equation: II. The analytic continuation of the Lippmann–Schwinger bras and kets

Abstract

The analytic continuation of the Lippmann-Schwinger bras and kets is obtained and characterized. It is shown that the natural mathematical setting for the analytic continuation of the solutions of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation is the rigged Hilbert space rather than just the Hilbert space. It is also argued that this analytic continuation entails the imposition of a time asymmetric boundary condition upon the group time evolution, resulting into a semigroup time evolution. Physically, the semigroup time evolution is simply a (retarded or advanced) propagator.