Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Open Systems & Information Dynamics

Spatial Decoherence in QED

Bruno Bellomo, G. Compagno, Francesco Petruccione

Published Nov 15, 2006• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We consider the dynamics of a charged free particle, initially described by a coherent wave packet, interacting with an electromagnetic field characterized by the temperature T, considered as the environment. We have used dipole approximation neglecting the potential vector quadratic term in the minimal coupling Hamiltonian. This leads to the loss of coherence in the momentum representation, described by the decay of the off diagonal elements of the particle reduced density matrix, while the populations remain constant. Here we extend the analysis to the coordinate representation. We compute the particle reduced density matrix in this basis, analyzing in particular the mixing of various effects, such as free spreading, vacuum dressing and vacuum and thermal decoherence, in the wave packet width and coherence length evolution.

DOI
10.1007/s11080-006-9021-3

Related papers

Loss of coherence and dressing in QED

Bruno Bellomo, G. Compagno, Francesco Petruccione

The dynamics of a free charged particle, initially described by a coherent wave packet, interacting with an environment, i.e., the electromagnetic field characterized by a temperature $T$, is studied. Using the dipole approximation, the exact expressions for the evolution of the reduced density matrix both in momentum and configuration space and the vacuum and the thermal contribution to decoherence are obtained. The time behavior of the coherence lengths in the two representations are given. Through the analysis of the dynamic of the field structure associated with the particle the vacuum contribution is shown to be linked to the birth of correlations between the single momentum components of the particle wave packet and the virtual photons of the dressing cloud.

arXiv:quant-ph/0612192•Physical Review A•Nov 22, 2006•6 citations

Wave Packet Decoherence in Momentum Space

Bruno Bellomo

We consider the development of decoherence between the momentum components of a wave packet of a non relativistic charged particle interacting linearly with the electromagnetic field in equilibrium at temperature T. By adopting from the beginning the electric dipole approximation the Hamiltonian assumes a form analogous to the one used in the context of quantum computing for an ensemble of two level systems. We obtain the characteristic vacuum and thermal decoherence times and we show that decoherence between different momenta is due to the onset of a correlation between each momentum component and the associated transverse photons that are also responsible of mass renormalization.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 2004•2 citations

Initial correlations effects on decoherence at zero temperature

Bruno Bellomo, G Compagno, Francesco Petruccione

We consider a free charged particle interacting with an electromagnetic bath at zero temperature. The dipole approximation is used to treat the bath wavelengths larger than the width of the particle wave packet. The effect of these wavelengths is described then by a linear Hamiltonian whose form is analogous to phenomenological Hamiltonians previously adopted to describe the free particle-bath interaction. We study how the time dependence of decoherence evolution is related with initial particle-bath correlations. We show that decoherence is related to the time dependent dressing of the particle. Moreover because decoherence induced by the T=0 bath is very rapid, we make some considerations on the conditions under which interference may be experimentally observed.

arXiv:quant-ph/0409167•Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General•Nov 9, 2005•6 citations

Dynamics of a Quantum Particle Interacting With an Electromagnetic Field

Eliade N. Stefanescu

Essentially, we solve the particle-field equations obtained in the matter distribution quantum mechanics. In the framework of this theory, a particle is described by a density amplitude function, we call wave function, as a packet of waves with the time dependent phases proportional to the relativistic Lagrangian. The mass quantization of such a particle, as a distribution of matter, is obtained from the equality of the spatial integral of the density with the mass as a characteristic of the relativistic dynamics of this matter. The particle dynamics, as a motion of a mass spatial distribution, is obtained from the equality of the wave propagation velocities with the distribution coordinate velocities. This description is a physical one, compared to the Schrödinger-Heisenberg description leading to unphysical results as a null velocity for the kinetic energy as a constant of motion, or Zitterbewegung. The description of a particle interaction with an electromagnetic field by additional Lagrangian terms, with a vector potential conjugated to coordinates, as in the Aharonov-Bohm effect, and an electric potential conjugated to time, leads to the Lorentz force, and the Maxwell equations. In the two conjugated spaces, of the coordinates and of the momentum, the dynamics of a quantum particle is described by propagation operators, depending on the coordinate-momentum product, applied to time dependent wave functions satisfying matter-field equations. Unlike the standard Schrödinger or Schrödinger-Dirac equations, depending only on the Hamiltonian operator, instead of the Hamiltonian these equations contain the Lagrangian, which, besides the Hamiltonian, include additional terms with an explicit dependence on velocity, as it is expected in a relativistic theory. We obtain the wave function of a particle-antiparticle system interacting with an electromagnetic field, as a wave packet of spinors propagating in space with finite dimensions, given by the finite definition domain of the density function, in the space of the matter-field momentum, as a constant of motion. We show that an electrically charged quantum particle, rotating in a central electric field, generates a vector potential with a magnetic field perpendicular to the rotational plane and an electric field in this plane. By a quantum transition, a photon is emitted in the particle rotational plane, with the magnetic field perpendicular to this plane, and the electric field contained in this plane. In this framework, the vector potential rotation is correlated to a particle momentum rotation, for the canonical matter-field momentum as a constant of motion, without any electromagnetic field radiated outside.

European journal of applied sciences•Dec 1, 2021•4 citations

Decoherence in a two-particle model

Detlef Dürr, Rodolfo Figari, Alessandro Teta

We consider a simple one-dimensional quantum system consisting of a heavy and a light particle interacting via a point interaction. The initial state is chosen to be a product state, with the heavy particle described by a coherent superposition of two spatially separated wave packets with opposite momentum and the light particle localized in the region between the two wave packets. We characterize the asymptotic dynamics of the system in the limit of small mass ratio, with an explicit control of the error. We derive the corresponding reduced density matrix for the heavy particle and explicitly compute the (partial) decoherence effect for the heavy particle induced by the presence of the light one for a particular set up of the parameters.

arXiv:quant-ph/0210199•Journal of Mathematical Physics•Mar 17, 2004•24 citations

Quantum coherence and interference of damped free particles

Craig M. Savage, Daniel F. Walls

We use a Markovian master equation to solve for the dynamics of a free particle damped by the coupling of its coordinate to a bath of harmonic oscillators. In the coordinate basis the reduced density matrix for the free particle tends to be diagonalized. Considering the evolution of an initial superposition of two plane waves, we find that the interference-pattern fringe contrast is decreased by the damping. However, for fixed times and sufficiently large damping, the fringe contrast increases with increasing damping. Considering an initial coordinate-space Gaussian wave function, we find that for sufficiently large damping the coupling to the environment models a quantum measurement of the particle's coordinate.

Physical Review A•Dec 1, 1985•20 citations
We consider the dynamics of a charged free particle, initially described by a coherent wave packet, interacting with an electromagnetic field characterized by the temperature T, considered as the environment. We have used dipole approximation neglecting the potential vector quadratic term in the minimal coupling Hamiltonian. This leads to the loss of coherence in the momentum representation, described by the decay of the off diagonal elements of the particle reduced density matrix, while the populations remain constant. Here we extend the analysis to the coordinate representation. We compute the particle reduced density matrix in this basis, analyzing in particular the mixing of various effects, such as free spreading, vacuum dressing and vacuum and thermal decoherence, in the wave packet width and coherence length evolution.
The dynamics of a free charged particle, initially described by a coherent wave packet, interacting with an environment, i.e., the electromagnetic field characterized by a temperature TTT, is studied. Using the dipole approximation, the exact expressions for the evolution of the reduced density matrix both in momentum and configuration space and the vacuum and the thermal contribution to decoherence are obtained. The time behavior of the coherence lengths in the two representations are given. Through the analysis of the dynamic of the field structure associated with the particle the vacuum contribution is shown to be linked to the birth of correlations between the single momentum components of the particle wave packet and the virtual photons of the dressing cloud.
We consider the development of decoherence between the momentum components of a wave packet of a non relativistic charged particle interacting linearly with the electromagnetic field in equilibrium at temperature T. By adopting from the beginning the electric dipole approximation the Hamiltonian assumes a form analogous to the one used in the context of quantum computing for an ensemble of two level systems. We obtain the characteristic vacuum and thermal decoherence times and we show that decoherence between different momenta is due to the onset of a correlation between each momentum component and the associated transverse photons that are also responsible of mass renormalization.
We consider a free charged particle interacting with an electromagnetic bath at zero temperature. The dipole approximation is used to treat the bath wavelengths larger than the width of the particle wave packet. The effect of these wavelengths is described then by a linear Hamiltonian whose form is analogous to phenomenological Hamiltonians previously adopted to describe the free particle-bath interaction. We study how the time dependence of decoherence evolution is related with initial particle-bath correlations. We show that decoherence is related to the time dependent dressing of the particle. Moreover because decoherence induced by the T=0 bath is very rapid, we make some considerations on the conditions under which interference may be experimentally observed.
Essentially, we solve the particle-field equations obtained in the matter distribution quantum mechanics. In the framework of this theory, a particle is described by a density amplitude function, we call wave function, as a packet of waves with the time dependent phases proportional to the relativistic Lagrangian. The mass quantization of such a particle, as a distribution of matter, is obtained from the equality of the spatial integral of the density with the mass as a characteristic of the relativistic dynamics of this matter. The particle dynamics, as a motion of a mass spatial distribution, is obtained from the equality of the wave propagation velocities with the distribution coordinate velocities. This description is a physical one, compared to the Schrödinger-Heisenberg description leading to unphysical results as a null velocity for the kinetic energy as a constant of motion, or Zitterbewegung. The description of a particle interaction with an electromagnetic field by additional Lagrangian terms, with a vector potential conjugated to coordinates, as in the Aharonov-Bohm effect, and an electric potential conjugated to time, leads to the Lorentz force, and the Maxwell equations. In the two conjugated spaces, of the coordinates and of the momentum, the dynamics of a quantum particle is described by propagation operators, depending on the coordinate-momentum product, applied to time dependent wave functions satisfying matter-field equations. Unlike the standard Schrödinger or Schrödinger-Dirac equations, depending only on the Hamiltonian operator, instead of the Hamiltonian these equations contain the Lagrangian, which, besides the Hamiltonian, include additional terms with an explicit dependence on velocity, as it is expected in a relativistic theory. We obtain the wave function of a particle-antiparticle system interacting with an electromagnetic field, as a wave packet of spinors propagating in space with finite dimensions, given by the finite definition domain of the density function, in the space of the matter-field momentum, as a constant of motion. We show that an electrically charged quantum particle, rotating in a central electric field, generates a vector potential with a magnetic field perpendicular to the rotational plane and an electric field in this plane. By a quantum transition, a photon is emitted in the particle rotational plane, with the magnetic field perpendicular to this plane, and the electric field contained in this plane. In this framework, the vector potential rotation is correlated to a particle momentum rotation, for the canonical matter-field momentum as a constant of motion, without any electromagnetic field radiated outside.
We consider a simple one-dimensional quantum system consisting of a heavy and a light particle interacting via a point interaction. The initial state is chosen to be a product state, with the heavy particle described by a coherent superposition of two spatially separated wave packets with opposite momentum and the light particle localized in the region between the two wave packets. We characterize the asymptotic dynamics of the system in the limit of small mass ratio, with an explicit control of the error. We derive the corresponding reduced density matrix for the heavy particle and explicitly compute the (partial) decoherence effect for the heavy particle induced by the presence of the light one for a particular set up of the parameters.
We use a Markovian master equation to solve for the dynamics of a free particle damped by the coupling of its coordinate to a bath of harmonic oscillators. In the coordinate basis the reduced density matrix for the free particle tends to be diagonalized. Considering the evolution of an initial superposition of two plane waves, we find that the interference-pattern fringe contrast is decreased by the damping. However, for fixed times and sufficiently large damping, the fringe contrast increases with increasing damping. Considering an initial coordinate-space Gaussian wave function, we find that for sufficiently large damping the coupling to the environment models a quantum measurement of the particle's coordinate.