Quantum mean-field theory of collective dynamics and tunneling
A fundamental problem in quantum many-body theory is formulation of a microscopic theory of collective motion. For self-bound, saturating systems like finite nuclei described in the context of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics with static interactions, the essential problem is how to formulate a systematic quantal theory in which the relevant collective variables and their dynamics arise directly and naturally from the Hamiltonian and the system under consideration. Significant progress has been made recently in formulating the quantum many-body problem in terms of an expansion about solutions to time-dependent mean-field equations. The essential ideas, principal results, and illustrative examples are summarized. An exact expression for an observable of interest is written using a functional integral representation for the evolution operator, and tractable time-dependent mean field equations are obtained by application of the stationary-phase approximation (SPA) to the functional integral. Corrections to the lowest-order theory may be systematically enumerated. 6 figures. (RWR)
- Research Organization:
- Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76ER03069
- OSTI ID:
- 6562883
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-810107-3; TRN: 81-007078
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. international conference on recent progress in many-body theories, Mexico City, Mexico, 12 Jan 1981
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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