Spectral representation of Matsubara n-point functions: Exact kernel functions and applications

Abstract: In the field of quantum many-body physics, the spectral (or Lehmann) representation simplifies the calculation of Matsubara n-point correlation functions if the eigensystem of a Hamiltonian is known. It is expressed via a universal kernel function and a system- and correlator-specific product of matrix elements. Here we provide the kernel functions in full generality, for arbitrary n, arbitrary combinations of bosonic or fermionic operators and an arbitrary number of anomalous terms. As an application, we consider bosonic 3- and 4-point correlation functions for the fermionic Hubbard atom and a free spin of length S, respectively.