Time-dependent mean-field approximation for nuclear dynamical problems

A general method for a microscopic description of nuclear dynamical problems is discussed. The method is based on a functional integral representation for the many-body time evolution operator U (t/sub f/,t/sub i/). In the stationary phase limit, a time-dependent mean-field approximation for the matrix elements of U is obtained. Using standard procedures this allows for extraction of quantum mechanical information about bound states, tunneling, or scattering phenomena in a many-nucleon system. The approximation represents a natural generalization of the time-dependent Hartree-Fock method