Derivation of non-Markovian transport equations for trapped cold atoms in nonequilibrium thermal field theory Original Research Article

The non-Markovian transport equations for the systems of cold Bose atoms confined by a external potential both without and with a Bose–Einstein condensate are derived in the framework of nonequilibrium thermal field theory (Thermo Field Dynamics). Our key elements are an explicit particle representation and a self-consistent renormalization condition which are essential in thermal field theory. The non-Markovian transport equation for the non-condensed system, derived at the two-loop level, is reduced in the Markovian limit to the ordinary quantum Boltzmann equation derived in the other methods. For the condensed system, we derive a new transport equation with an additional collision term which becomes important in the Landau instability.