  The calculation of the dephasing time in electron systems is presented. By
means of the Keldysh formalism we discuss in a unifying way both weak
localization and interaction effects in disordered systems. This allows us to
show how dephasing arises both in the particle-particle channel (weak
localization) and in the particle-hole channel (interaction effect). First we
discuss dephasing by an external field. Besides reviewing previous work on how
an external oscillating field suppresses the weak localization correction, we
derive a new expression for the effect of a field on the interaction
correction. We find that the latter may be suppressed by a static electric
field, in contrast to weak localization. We then consider dephasing due to
inelastic scattering. The ambiguities involved in the definition of the
dephasing time are clarified by directly comparing the diagrammatic approach
with the path-integral approach. We show that different dephasing times appear
in the particle-particle and particle-hole channels. Finally we comment on
recent experiments.
