Two‐Time Quantum Fluctuations Approach and Its Relation to the Bethe–Salpeter Equation

Correlated quantum many‐particle systems out of equilibrium are of high interest in many fields, including correlated solids, ultracold atoms, or dense plasmas. Accurate theoretical description of these systems is challenging both, conceptionally and with respect to computational resources. A quantum fluctuations approach is recently presented, which is equivalent to the nonequilibrium GW approximation that promises high accuracy at low computational cost. The method exhibits process time scaling that is linear in the number of time steps, like the G1–G2 scheme, however, at a much reduced computer memory cost. In a second publication, this approach is extended to the two‐time exchange–correlation functions and the dynamic density response properties. Herein, the properties of this approach are analyzed in more detail. The physical meaning of the central approximation, the quantum polarization approximation, is established. It is demonstrated that the method is equivalent to the Bethe–Salpeter equation for the two‐time exchange–correlation function when the generalized Kadanoff–Baym ansatz with Hartree–Fock propagators is applied.