The equilibrium states of the spin-boson model

M. Fannes, Bruno Nachtergaele, André F. Verbeure

John T. Lewis, G. A. Raggio

Aditi Mitra, Andrew J. Millis

Federico Cerisola, Marco Berritta, Stefano Scali +3 more

Abstract The equilibrium properties of nanoscale systems can deviate significantly from standard thermodynamics due to their coupling to an environment. We investigate this here for the θ -angled spin–boson model, where we first derive a compact and general form of the classical equilibrium state including environmental corrections to all orders. Secondly, for the quantum spin–boson model we prove, by carefully taking a large spin limit, that Bohr’s quantum–classical correspondence persists at all coupling strengths. This shows, for the first time, the validity of the quantum–classical correspondence for an open system and gives insight into the regimes where the quantum system is well-approximated by a classical one. Finally, we provide the first classification of the coupling parameter regimes for the spin–boson model, from weak to ultrastrong, both for the quantum case and the classical setting. Our results shed light on the interplay of quantum and mean force corrections in equilibrium states of the spin–boson model, and will help draw the quantum to classical boundary in a range of fields, such as magnetism and exciton dynamics.

David Hasler, Ira Herbst

M. Fannes, Bruno Nachtergaele, André F. Verbeure

For a two-level spin-boson system describing a quantum particle in a double-well potential coupled to a quantised radiation field, the authors prove the unicity of the equilibrium state at all positive temperatures. They are also able to compute rigorously the transition probability between the thermal wavefunctions of the two wells.