Self-consistency in $GW\Gamma$ formalism leading to quasiparticle-quasiparticle couplings

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the structure of the interaction vertex in Hedin's formalism within many-body perturbation theory, revealing how self-consistency can incorporate new quasiparticle interactions and extend the theory's validity.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of the functional derivative of the self-energy, classifies self-consistency contributions, and demonstrates how including derivatives of the vertex extends Hedin's equations.

Findings

Self-consistency includes both renormalization and new interaction terms.

Extending self-consistency improves validity in high interaction regimes.

The T-matrix approach is encompassed within Hedin's formalism.

Abstract

Within many-body perturbation theory, Hedin's formalism offers a systematic way to iteratively compute the self-energy $\Sigma$ of any interacting system, provided one can evaluate the interaction vertex $\Gamma$ exactly. This is however impossible in general, for it involves the functional derivative of $\Sigma$ with respect to the Green's function. Here, we analyze the structure of this derivative, splitting it into four contributions and outlining the type of quasiparticle interactions that each of them generate. Moreover we show how, in the implementation of self-consistency, the action of these contributions can be classified into two: a quantitative renormalization of previously included interaction terms, and the inclusion of qualitatively novel interaction terms through successive functional derivatives of $\Gamma$ itself, neglected until now. Implementing this latter type of self-consistency can extend the validity of Hedin's equations towards the high interaction limit, as we show in the example of the Hubbard dimer. Our analysis also provides a unifying perspective on the perturbation theory landscape, showing how the T-matrix approach is completely contained in Hedin's formalism.