Classical and quantum dissipation in non-homogeneous environments (original) (raw)

Quantum Dissipation and Quantum Noise

Annals of Physics, 1995

We derive the exact action for a damped mechanical system ( and the special case of the linear oscillator) from the path integral formulation of the quantum Brownian motion problem developed by Schwinger and by Feynman and Vernon. The doubling of the phase-space degrees of freedom for dissipative systems and thermal field theories is discussed and the initial values of the doubled variables are related to quantum noise effects.

Stochastic Liouville, Langevin, Fokker–Planck, and Master Equation Approaches to Quantum Dissipative Systems

Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, 2006

Half century has past since the pioneering works of Anderson and Kubo on the stochastic theory of spectral line shape were published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 9 (1954) 316 and 935, respectively. In this review, we give an overview and extension of the stochastic Liouville equation focusing on its theoretical background and applications to help further the development of their works. With the aid of path integral formalism, we derive the stochastic Liouville equation for density matrices of a system. We then cast the equation into the hierarchy of equations which can be solved analytically or computationally in a nonperturbative manner including the effect of a colored noise. We elucidate the applications of the stochastic theory from the unified theoretical basis to analyze the dynamics of a system as probed by experiments. We illustrate this as a review of several experimental examples including NMR, dielectric relaxation, Mössbauer spectroscopy, neutron scattering, and linear and nonlinear laser spectroscopies. Following the summary of the advantage and limitation of the stochastic theory, we then derive a quantum Fokker-Planck equation and a quantum master equation from a system-bath Hamiltonian with a suitable spectral distribution producing a nearly Markovian random perturbation. By introducing auxiliary parameters that play a role as stochastic variables in an expression for reduced density matrix, we obtain the stochastic Liouville equation including temperature correction terms. The auxiliary parameters may also be interpreted as a random noise that allows us to derive a quantum Langevin equation for non-Markovian noise at any temperature. The results afford a basis for clarifying the relationship between the stochastic and dynamical approaches. Analytical as well as numerical calculations are given as examples and discussed.

Non-Markovian Quantum Dissipation in the Presence of External Fields

Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics, 2003

This article reviews from both theoretical and numerical aspects three non-equivalent complete second-order formulations of quantum dissipation theory, in which both the reduced dynamics and the initial canonical thermal equilibrium are properly treated in the weak system-bath coupling limit. Two of these formulations are rather familiar as the time-local and the memory-kernel prescriptions, while another which can be termed as correlated driving-dissipation equations of motion will be shown to have the combined merits of the two conventional formulations. By exploiting the exact solutions to the driven Brownian oscillator system, we demonstrate that the time-local and correlated driving-dissipation equations of motion formulations are usually better than their memory-kernel counterparts, in terms of their applicability to a broad range of system-bath coupling, non-Markovian, and temperature parameters. Numerical algorithms are detailed for an efficient evaluation of both the reduced canonical thermal equilibrium state and the non-Markovian evolution at any temperature, in the presence of arbitrary time-dependent external fields.

Dissipation, Emergent Quantization, and Quantum Fluctuations

Lecture Notes in Physics, 2003

We review some aspects of the quantization of the damped harmonic oscillator. We derive the exact action for a damped mechanical system in the frame of the path integral formulation of the quantum Brownian motion problem developed by Schwinger and by Feynman and Vernon. The doubling of the phase-space degrees of freedom for dissipative systems and thermal field theories is discussed and the doubled variables are related to quantum noise effects. The 't Hooft proposal, according to which the loss of information due to dissipation in a classical deterministic system manifests itself in the quantum features of the system, is analyzed and the quantum spectrum of the harmonic oscillator is shown to be originated from the dissipative character of the original classical deterministic system.

A closer look at the quantum Langevin equation: Fokker-Planck equation and quasiprobabilities

Physics Letters, 1985

The nature of the noise described by the c-number quantum Lange'iin equation is investigated. Subtleties in the stochastic calculus are shown to originate from differences between quantum noise and classical coloured noise. The Fokker-Planck equation for the Wigner distribution and the associated quantum master equation are derived for a linear system. Explicit results for the quasiprobabilities are obtained. Recently there has been a great deal of interest in the influence of dissipation on quantum systems at low temperatures [1,2] where standard weak coupling theories [3,4] fail. In this context it has been suggested that the motion of a quantum mechanical particle of massM and coordinate q can be described by a quantum Langevin equation (QLE) [5-8] M~l'+ M7 4 + OV/Oq = ~(t). (1) Here V(q) is the external potential and-MTq a frictional force caused by environmental coupling. ~(t) is a gaussian random noise with zero mean whose coloured spectrum (~(60) ~(-60))= 2 7~M60 [1-exp(-/3h60)] 1 (2) reflects the quantum nature of the process. From (2) one finds (~(t) ~) =-(TM/2fl)v (sinh lvt)-2 + iTMh d6(t)/dt .

Thermal Reservoir coupled to External Field and Quantum Dissipation

1992

In the framework of the Caldeira -Leggett model of dissipative quantum mechanics, we investigate the effects of the interaction of the thermal reservoir with an external field. In particular, we discuss how the interaction modifies the conservative dynamics of the central particle, and the mechanism of dissipation. We briefly comment on possible observable consequencies.

Decoherence and quantum-classical dynamics in a dissipative bath

The Journal of Chemical Physics, 2010

The dynamics of a mixed quantum-classical system, in which the classical subsystem interacts with a dissipative bath, is investigated. This description of the dynamics will be appropriate if the details of the bath dynamics are unimportant but its presence plays an important role in the dissipation of energy to the environment. In this dynamical description, which can be simulated employing an ensemble of stochastic surface-hopping trajectories, the strength of the dissipation is controlled by a friction coefficient. We show that if decoherence, whose effects are controlled by the bath friction, is sufficiently rapid, the equation of motion can be reduced to a master equation. Thus, decoherence and the validity of master equation models may be explored as a function of bath friction. We use this framework to study the mechanism of decoherence in a simple model nonadiabatic chemical reaction.

Evolution of dissipative processes via a statistical thermodynamic approach. I. Generalized Mori–Heisenberg–Langevin equations

The Journal of Chemical Physics, 1998

Within the scope of a nonequilibrium statistical ensemble formalism we derive a hierarchy of equations of evolution for a set of basic thermo-hydrodynamic variables, which describe the macroscopic nonequilibrium state of a fluid of bosons. This set is composed of the energy density and number density and their fluxes of all order. The resulting equations can be considered as far-reaching generalizations of those in Mori's approach. They involve nonlocality in space and retro-effects ͑i.e. correlations in space and time respectively͒, are highly nonlinear, and account for irreversible behavior in the macroscopic evolution of the system. The different contributions to these kinetic equations are analyzed and the Markovian limit is obtained. In the follow up article we consider the nonequilibrium thermodynamic properties that the formalism provides.

Quantum Dissipation

1995

We address the question of the microscopic origin of dissipation in collective motion of a quantum many--body system in the framework of a parametric random matrix approach to the intrinsic dynamics. We show that the fluctuation--dissipation theorem is generally violated and, moreover, energy diffusion has a markedly non--Gaussian character and the corresponding distribution has very long tails. Such features do not support a Langevin or Fokker--Planck approach to dissipation in collective nuclear motion.