  We derive quantum kinetic equations for scalar fields undergoing coherent
evolution either in time (coherent particle production) or in space (quantum
reflection). Our central finding is that in systems with certain space-time
symmetries, quantum coherence manifests itself in the form of new spectral
solutions for the dynamical 2-point correlation function. This spectral
structure leads to a consistent approximation for dynamical equations that
describe coherent evolution in presence of decohering collisions. We illustrate
the method by solving the bosonic Klein problem and the bound states for the
nonrelativistic square well potential. We then compare our spectral phase space
definition of particle number to other definitions in the nonequilibrium field
theory. Finally we will explicitly compute the effects of interactions to
coherent particle production in the case of an unstable field coupled to an
oscillating background.
