Nuclear matter spectral functions by transport theory

Quantum transport theory is used to calculate the nucleon spectral function in infinite nuclear matter. A self-consistent description is obtained by utilizing the relations between collision rates and correlation functions. Static and dynamical self-energies are taken into account in the single-particle propagators. The real parts of the nonstatic self-energy contributions are calculated by dispersion theory thus conserving the analyticity of momentum distributions. The transport theoretical spectral functions, momentum distributions, occupation probabilities and response functions are in close agreement with results of variational and other many-body theoretical calculations. The results indicate that the nucleon spectral functions are determined only by the average short-range correlation strength. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.