Derivation of Transport Equations Using the Time-Dependent Projection Operator Method

Derivation of the nonequilibrium generalized Langevin equation from a time-dependent many-body Hamiltonian

It has become standard practice to describe systems that remain far from equilibrium even in their steady state by Langevin equations with colored noise which is chosen independently from the friction contribution. Since these Langevin equations are typically not derived from first-principle Hamiltonian dynamics, it is not clear whether they correspond to physically realizable scenarios. By exact Mori projection in phase space we derive the nonequilibrium generalized Langevin equation (GLE) for an arbitrary phase-space dependent observable A from a generic many-body Hamiltonian with a time-dependent external force h(t) acting on the same observable A. This is the same Hamiltonian from which the standard fluctuation-dissipation theorem is derived, which reflects the generality of our approach. The observable A could, for example, be the position of an atom, of a molecule or of a macroscopic object, the distance between two such entities or a more complex phase-space function such as the reaction coordinate of a chemical reaction or of the folding of a protein. The Hamiltonian could, for example, describe a fluid, a solid, a viscoelastic medium, or even a turbulent inhomogeneous environment. The GLE, which is a closed-form equation of motion for the observable A, is obtained in explicit form to all orders in h(t) and without restrictions on the type of many-body Hamiltonian or the observable A. If the dynamics of the observable A corresponds to a Gaussian process, the resultant GLE has a similar form as the equilibrium Mori GLE, and in particular the friction memory kernel is given by the two-point autocorrelation function of the sum of the complementary and the external force h(t). This is a nontrivial and useful result, as many observables that characterize nonequilibrium systems display Gaussian statistics. For non-Gaussian nonequilibrium observables correction terms appear in the GLE and in the relation between the force autocorrelation and the friction memory kernel, which are explicitly given in terms of cubic correlation functions of A. Interpreting the external force h(t) as a stochastic process, we derive nonequilibrium corrections to the fluctuation-dissipation theorem and present methods to extract all GLE parameters from experimental or simulation time-series data, thus making our nonequilibrium GLE a practical tool to study and model general nonequilibrium systems.

Mori-Zwanzig projection operator formalism: Particle-based coarse-grained dynamics of open classical systems far from equilibrium

We present a generalized Langevin equation (GLE) of motion that governs exactly the time evolution of phase-space observables in finite open systems described by classical Hamiltonians with explicitly time-dependent potentials. This formalism is based on the Mori-Zwanzig projection operator (PO) method with a time-independent Zwanzig PO within a Heisenberg (Lagrangian) picture and reduced description of Hamiltonian systems in terms of canonical relevant and irrelevant coordinates. We demonstrate that, similarly to closed systems, GLE dynamics in Hamiltonian systems in the presence of time-dependent potentials is determined by conservative, dissipative memory, and projected force fields, and that the memory functions relate to the projected force, which is a two-time process, in a way that is reminiscent of the equilibrium second fluctuation-dissipation relation. We further show that, in the most general case, the memory kernel depends on the relevant momentum gradients of the (Boltzmann) entropy of the irrelevant subsystem. Using two Zwanzig operators which are, respectively, functionals of the canonical and generalized canonical probability densities, we then derive what we call canonical and generalized canonical GLEs. Further, we can formulate the particle-based, coarse-grained (CG) GLE dynamics by transitioning to Jacobi coordinates which corresponds to a particle set partitioning of the Hamiltonian system. The obtained canonical CG GLE of motion for the relevant momenta is a generalization of the CG equation of motion known for closed systems. Also, using a Markovian approximation of the canonical CG GLE, we can extend the dissipative particle dynamics equation to open systems. A distinctive feature of our extension is a use of explicitly time-dependent frictions, which reflect the changes in the dissipation rate caused by time-dependent coupling to an external bath. Our GLE formalism and workflow constitute a general and viable framework that can be readily used as a starting point to rigorously formulate microscopically informed CG treatments for a variety of phenomena in externally forced systems far from equilibrium.

Mori-Zwanzig projection operator formalism for far-from-equilibrium systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians

The Mori-Zwanzig projection operator formalism is a powerful method for the derivation of mesoscopic and macroscopic theories based on known microscopic equations of motion. It has applications in a large number of areas including fluid mechanics, solid-state theory, spin relaxation theory, and particle physics. In its present form, however, the formalism cannot be directly applied to systems with time-dependent Hamiltonians. Such systems are relevant in many scenarios such as driven soft matter or nuclear magnetic resonance. In this article we derive a generalization of the present Mori-Zwanzig formalism that is able to treat also time-dependent Hamiltonians. The extended formalism can be applied to classical and quantum systems, close to and far from thermodynamic equilibrium, and even in the case of explicitly-time-dependent observables. Moreover, we develop a variety of approximation techniques that enhance the practical applicability of our formalism. Generalizations and approximations are developed for both equations of motion and correlation functions. Our formalism is demonstrated for the important case of spin relaxation in a time-dependent external magnetic field. The Bloch equations are derived together with microscopic expressions for the relaxation times.

A non-equilibrium equation-of-motion approach to quantum transport utilizing projection operators

We consider a projection operator approach to the non-equilibrium Green function equation-of-motion (PO-NEGF EOM) method. The technique resolves problems of arbitrariness in truncation of an infinite chain of EOMs and prevents violation of symmetry relations resulting from the truncation (equivalence of left- and right-sided EOMs is shown and symmetry with respect to interchange of Fermi or Bose operators before truncation is preserved). The approach, originally developed by Tserkovnikov (1999 Theor. Math. Phys. 118 85) for equilibrium systems, is reformulated to be applicable to time-dependent non-equilibrium situations. We derive a canonical form of EOMs, thus explicitly demonstrating a proper result for the non-equilibrium atomic limit in junction problems. A simple practical scheme applicable to quantum transport simulations is formulated. We perform numerical simulations within simple models and compare results of the approach to other techniques and (where available) also to exact results.

Parametric resonance-induced time-convolutionless master equation breakdown in finite size exciton-phonon systems

A detailed analysis is performed to show that the second order time-convolutionless master equation fails to describe the exciton-phonon dynamics in a finite size lattice. To proceed, special attention is paid to characterizing the coherences of the exciton reduced density matrix. These specific elements measure the ability of the exciton to develop superimpositions involving the vacuum and the one-exciton states. It is shown that the coherences behave as wavefunctions whose dynamics is governed by a time-dependent effective Hamiltonian defined in terms of the so-called time-dependent relaxation operator. Due to the confinement, quantum recurrences provide to the relaxation operator an almost periodic nature, so the master equation reduces to a linear system of differential equations with almost periodic coefficients. We show that, in accordance with the Floquet theory, unstable solutions emerge due to parametric resonances involving specific frequencies of the relaxation operator and specific excitonic eigenfrequencies. These resonances give rise to an unphysical exponential growth of the coherences, indicating the breakdown of the second order master equation.

Transport coefficients of non-Newtonian fluid and causal dissipative hydrodynamics

A formula to calculate the transport coefficients of the causal dissipative hydrodynamics is derived by using the projection operator method (Mori-Zwanzig formalism) [T. Koide, Phys. Rev. E 75, 060103(R) (2007)]. This is an extension of the Green-Kubo-Nakano (GKN) formula to the case of non-Newtonian fluids, which is the essential factor to preserve the relativistic causality in relativistic dissipative hydrodynamics. This formula is the generalization of the GKN formula in the sense that it can reproduce the GKN formula in a certain limit. In this work, we extend the previous work so as to apply to more general situations.

Microscopic formula for transport coefficients of causal hydrodynamics

The Green-Kubo-Nakano formula should be modified in relativistic hydrodynamics because of the problem of acausality and the breaking of sum rules. In this Rapid Communication, we propose a formula to calculate the transport coefficients of causal hydrodynamics based on the projection operator method. As concrete examples, we derive the expressions for the diffusion coefficient, the shear viscosity coefficient, and corresponding relaxation times.

Microscopic derivation of causal diffusion equation using the projection operator method

We derive a coarse-grained equation of motion of a number density by applying the projection operator method to a non-relativistic model. The derived equation is an integrodifferential equation and contains the memory effect. The equation is consistent with causality and the sum rule associated with the number conservation in the low momentum limit, in contrast to usual acausal diffusion equations given by using the Fick's law. After employing the Markov approximation, we find that the equation has the similar form to the causal diffusion equation. Our result suggests that current-current correlations are not necessarily adequate as the definition of diffusion constants.