A Mathematical Account of the NEGF Formalism

The main goal of this paper is to put on solid mathematical grounds the so-called non-equilibrium Green’s function transport formalism for open systems. In particular, we derive the Jauho–Meir–Wingreen formula for the time-dependent current through an interacting sample coupled to non-interacting leads. Our proof is non-perturbative and uses neither complex-time Keldysh contours nor Langreth rules of ‘analytic continuation.’ We also discuss other technical identities (Langreth, Keldysh) involving various many-body Green’s functions. Finally, we study the Dyson equation for the advanced/retarded interacting Green’s function and we rigorously construct its (irreducible) self-energy, using the theory of Volterra operators.