Renormalization group approach to time-dependent transport through correlated quantum dots

We introduce a real time version of the functional renormalization group, which allows us to study correlation effects on nonequilibrium transport through quantum dots. Our method is equally capable to address (i) the relaxation out of a nonequilibrium initial state into a (potentially) steady state driven by a bias voltage and (ii) the dynamics governed by an explicitly time-dependent Hamiltonian. All time regimes from transient to asymptotic can be tackled; the only approximation is the consistent truncation of the flow equations at a given order. As an application we investigate the relaxation dynamics of the interacting resonant level model, which describes a fermionic quantum dot dominated by charge fluctuations. Moreover, we study incoherence and relaxation phenomena within the ohmic spin-boson model by mapping the latter to the interacting resonant level model.