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arXiv:1109.4840 · Physical Review E

Conditions for the validity of the quantum Langevin equation

J. Frenkel, John C. Taylor

Published Jan 19, 2012• 3 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

From microscopic models, a Langevin equation can, in general, be derived only as an approximation. Two possible conditions to validate this approximation are studied. One is, for a linear Langevin equation, that the frequency of the Fourier transform should be close to the natural frequency of the system. The other is by the assumption of "slow" variables. We test this method by comparison with an exactly soluble model and point out its limitations. We base our discussion on two approaches. The first is a direct, elementary treatment of Senitzky. The second is via a generalized Langevin equation as an intermediate step.

DOI
10.1103/physreve.85.011135

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From microscopic models, a Langevin equation can, in general, be derived only as an approximation. Two possible conditions to validate this approximation are studied. One is, for a linear Langevin equation, that the frequency of the Fourier transform should be close to the natural frequency of the system. The other is by the assumption of "slow" variables. We test this method by comparison with an exactly soluble model and point out its limitations. We base our discussion on two approaches. The first is a direct, elementary treatment of Senitzky. The second is via a generalized Langevin equation as an intermediate step.
A rigorous derivation of quantum Langevin equation from microscopic dynamics in the low density limit is given. We consider a quantum model of a microscopic system (test particle) coupled with a reservoir (gas of light Bose particles) via interaction of scattering type. We formulate a mathematical procedure (the so-called stochastic golden rule) which allows us to determine the quantum Langevin equation in the limit of large time and small density of particles of the reservoir. The quantum Langevin equation describes not only dynamics of the system but also the reservoir. We show that the generator of the corresponding master equation has the Lindblad form of most general generators of completely positive semigroups.
The authors propose a transformation of the Langevin equation into an eigenvalue problem as a method to construct systems with soluble ground-state properties. As examples, they discuss quantum systems resulting from the Toda and sine-Gordon chains evolving according to the Langevin equation. Some ground-state properties are then evaluated with methods originally devised to calculate the partition function of one-dimensional classical systems. They also present numerical results for the two-phonon bound-state frequency and its coupling constant dependence by simulating a generalised quantum sine-Gordon system.
Slow collective motions in physical systems, particularly those near the critical point, can be best described in the framework of Langevin equations. We may set up Langevin equations when the timescales of slow and fast dynamical variables are distinctly separated. This framework originates from the classical Brownian motion and is justified microscopically via the projection operator formalism. First, in Sections 5.1–5.2, these general aspects will be discussed with a summary of the projection operator method in Appendix 5B. Second, in Section 5.3, we will examine simple Langevin equations in critical dynamics (models A, B, and C) and introduce dynamic renormalization group theory. These models have been used extensively to study fundamental problems in critical dynamics and phase ordering. Third, in Section 5.4, we will review the general linear response theory, putting emphasis on linear response to thermal disturbances. Langevin equation for a single particle Brownian motion Most readers will be aware of the zig-zag motions of a relatively large particle, calleda Brownian particle, suspended in a fluid. When its mass m 0 is much larger than those of the surrounding particles, appreciable changes of the velocity of the Brownian particle can be caused as a result of a large number of collisions with the surrounding molecules.
The macroscopic description of a quantum particle with passive dissipation and moving in an arbitrary external potential is formulated in terms of the generalized Langevin equation. The coupling with the heat bath corresponds to two terms: a mean force characterized by a memory function \ensuremath{\mu}(t) and an operator-valued random force. Explicit expressions are given for the correlation and commutator of the random force. The random force is never Markovian. It is shown that \ensuremath{\mu}\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}(z), the Fourier transform of the memory function, must be a positive real function, analytic in the upper half-plane and with Re[\ensuremath{\mu}\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}(\ensuremath{\omega}+i0+{0}^{+}0+)] a positive distribution on the real axis. This form is then derived for the independent-oscillator model of a heat bath. It is shown that the most general quantum Langevin equation can be realized by this simple model. A critical comparison is made with a number of other models that have appeared in the literature.