Dilepton production from hot hadronic matter in nonequilibrium

The influence of time dependent medium modifications of low mass vector mesons on dilepton yields is investigated within a nonequilibrium quantum field theoretical description on the basis of the Kadanoff-Baym equations. Time scales for the adaption of the spectral properties to changing self energies are given and, under use of a model for the fireball evolution, nonequilibrium dilepton yields from the decay of rho- and omega-mesons are calculated. In a comparison of these yields with those from calculations that assume instantaneous (Markovian) adaption to the changing medium, quantum mechanical memory effects turn out to be important.