Time-Dependent Gutzwiller Approximation: Theory and Applications

The time-dependent Gutzwiller approximation is rederived on the basis of a variational wave function which is a direct product of a Slater determinant and a coherent state. The latter can be related to the slave-boson formulation by Kotliar and Ruckenstein, and our approach offers a convenient way to generalize the theory towards the implementation of symmetry-broken states and the study of non-equilibrium phenomena. We discuss the concept with regard to applications in the linear response limit and for quenched antiferromagnetic order for which we evaluate the optical conductivity in non-equilibrium situations.