The Journal of Chemical Physics
Quantum dynamics for dissipative systems: A hydrodynamic perspective
Irène Burghardt, Klaus B. Møller
Abstract
This paper explores the hydrodynamic description of quantum densities evolving under the effects of dissipation. For illustration, we refer to analytical solutions for a harmonic system and Markovian dissipation, and derive expressions for the hydrodynamic moments and a hydrodynamic force that represents a generalization of the quantum force of Bohmian dynamics. Beyond this, we draw general conclusions on the dynamical transition, induced by dissipation, to a classical-like regime. In this context, the relation between the quantum-mechanical hydrodynamic picture and its classical-statistical analogue is investigated. This has some bearing upon mixed quantum-classical schemes emerging from the hydrodynamic description.