2006/07/31 by F. T. Brandt, Ashok Das, Olivier Espinosa +2
Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Quantum Electrodynamics and Casimir Effect #Quantum Mechanics and Applications #hep-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.74.085006
published as Phys.Rev.D74:085006,2006 · 17 pages, 13 figures. Added references, version to appear in Physical Review D
arxiv created 2006/09/09 · openalex publication_date 2006/10/06 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
In the context of scalar field theories, both real and complex, we derive the cutting description at finite temperature (with zero/finite chemical potential) from the cutting rules at zero temperature through the action of a simple thermal operator. We give an alternative algebraic proof of the largest time equation which brings out the underlying physics of such a relation. As an application of the cutting description, we calculate the imaginary part of the one-loop retarded self-energy at zero/finite temperature and finite chemical potential and show how this description can be used to calculate the dispersion relation as well as the full physical self-energy of thermal particles.