Abstract
A variational expression is constructed for generating functions in many-body theory, equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics or field theory. Thermodynamic potentials, expectation values of observables, two-time and multi-time functions can be derived therefrom. Basic tools are the backward Heisenberg equation and a general method for building variational principles. The use of an independent-particle trial space leads for many-fermion systems not only to the static and dynamic Hartree-Fock approximations, but provides for the correlations and for the two-time functions expressions which involve the static and dynamic RPA kernels, which thus acquire a variational status. The approximation satisfies many consistency requirements.
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References
R. Balian and M. Vénéroni, Ann. Phys. 216 (1992) 351–430.
R. Balian and M. Vénéroni, Nucl. Phys. B 408 (1993) 445–484.
R. Balian, H. Flocard and M. Vénéroni, Physics Reports, in press.
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© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Balian, R. (1999). Correlation Functions Through Variational Methods. In: DeWitt-Morette, C., Zuber, JB. (eds) Quantum Field Theory: Perspective and Prospective. NATO Science Series, vol 530. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4542-8_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4542-8_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-5673-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-4542-8
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