Title: Quantum master equation approach to transport
Abstract: In this talk I will try to summarize the main points we learned over the years on the quantum master equation approach to transport. This is taken in a particular perspective of nonequilibrium Green’s function (NEGF). First, we note that a simple-minded Dyson expansion for the reduced density matrix (the main object of the quantum master equation) turns out divergent, and a process of eliminating the initial condition is needed in order to producing the quantum master equation. We then give a recipe for the second order (in the system-bath couplings) density matrix known as analytic continuation (AC) and discuss its range of validity. Lastly, I will discuss few applications such as the thermoelectric problem in a time-dependent setting, and few other things, depending on how much time I still have.