Quantum kinetic theory of trapped particles in a strong electromagnetic field (Q2518422)

The authors study the spectral functions \(a(k, R,\tau, t)\) satisfying the gauge-invariant quantum kinetic equation in Wigner representation: \[ \begin{multlined} \{ih(\partial_\tau- \tau^{-1} K^A_{a+}(t_1, t_1')\nabla_k)-\\ [k^2/2m_a+ V^{\text{eff}}_Q(k, R,\tau, t)+ K^{A^2}_{a+} (t_1, t_1')- 2kK^A_{a+}(t_1, t_1')]\} a(k,R,\tau, t)=\\ -h\text{\,Im}(\widetilde I^>_{Fa}(k, R,t_1, t_1')- \widetilde I^<_{Fa}(k, R, t_1, t_1')+\widetilde I^>_a(k, R, t_1, t_1')-\\ \widetilde I^<_a(k, R,t_1,t_1'));\;t= (t_1+ t_1')/2,\;\tau= t_1- t_1'.\end{multlined} \] Here \(A_0= \phi= 0\), \[ A= -c\int_{(-\infty, t)}E(\overline t)\,d\overline t, \] \[ K^A_a(t_1, t_1')\equiv (e_a/c\tau)\int_{[t_1', t_1]}(A(t_1)- A(t''))\,dt'' \] and \[ K^a_{a\pm}(t_1, t_1')= [K^a_a(t_1, t_1')\pm K^A_a(t_1', t_1)/2. \] The spectral information is obtained by considering the Green's functions \(\widetilde g^>_a,\widetilde g^<_a)\) as a function of \(\tau\). In collisionless limit, the nonlocal terms proportional to \(\nabla_R a(k,R,\tau,t)\) in \(V^{\text{eff}}_Q\) can be neglected in a local form for the kinetics, and \[ F_\tau a(k,R,\tau,t; A)=a(k,R,\omega, t; A)\to 2\pi h\delta(h\omega- k^2/2m_a- V^{\text{eff}}(R, t)) \] in the absence of external fields. Next they obtain a solution \(a(k,R, \tau, t)\) to this equation with approximate quantum potential \(V^{\text{eff}}_Q\) exact in the collisionless limit at \(h= 0\) up through second-order in the gradients of the confining potential \(V^{\text{eff}}(R, t)\). That is, \[ \begin{multlined} V^{\text{eff}}_Q\to V^{\text{eff}}(R, t)+ (\tau^2/8m^2_a)[(\nabla_R V^{\text{eff}})^2+ (k\cdot\nabla_R)^2 V^{\text{eff}}-\\ 2e_a E\cdot \nabla_R V^{\text{eff}}]+ (\tau^4/3)((e_a/4m_a) E\cdot\nabla_R)^2 V^{\text{eff}}.\end{multlined} \] The resulting spectral function is used to determine the density of states and to study the collision integrals.