Relaxation time approximation revisited and pole/cut structure in retarded correlators

Abstract: In this paper, we aim to discuss the following two questions: Q1. Mathematical justification of the model of relaxation time approximation (RTA); Q2. Pole/cut structure in the retarded correlators within the kinetic description. We find that only the RTA with an energy-independent relaxation time can be justified in the case of hard interactions. Accordingly, we propose an alternative approach to restore the collision invariance lacking in traditional RTA. Furthermore, hydrodynamic poles are the long-lived non-analytical structures in this case. Whereas for soft interactions, commonly encountered in relativistic kinetic theory, the gapless eigenspectrum leads to dominant long-lived branch-cuts. When particles are massive or the perturbations are inhomogeneous, the non-analytical structures become more complex and richer.