Shear viscosity of hot scalar field theory in the real-time formalism

Abstract

Within the closed time path formalism a general nonperturbative expression is derived which resums through the Bethe-Salpter equation all leading order contributions to the shear viscosity in hot scalar field theory. Using a previously derived generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem for nonlinear response functions in the real-time formalism, it is shown that the Bethe-Salpeter equation decouples in the so-called (r,a) basis. The general result is applied to scalar field theory with pure lambda*phi**4 and mixed g*phi**3+lambda*phi**4 interactions. In both cases our calculation confirms the leading order expression for the shear viscosity previously obtained in the imaginary time formalism.

Expanded introduction and conclusions. Several references and a footnote added. Fig.5 and its discussion in the text modified to avoid double counting. Signs in Eqs. (45) and (53) corrected