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Bulletin of the American Physical Society

Quantized friction force: Lindbladian model satisfying Ehrenfest theorems

Denys I. Bondar, Renán Cabrera, Andre G. Campos, HERSCHEL A. RABITZ

Published Dec 5, 2014• 0 citations
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Abstract

We construct a quantum counterpart of classical friction, a dissipative force acting against the direction of motion with the magnitude proportional to particle's velocity. In particular, a Lindblad master equation is derived satisfying the appropriate dynamical relations for observables (i.e., the Ehrenfest theorems). These findings significantly advance a long search for a universal valid Lindbladian model of quantum friction.

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Nonlinear Friction in Quantum Mechanics

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Nonlinear friction forces are a problem in classical Brownian motion for a long time [1]. They are described either by Langevin or by Fokker-Planck equations [2-4]. However, the rigorous generalized Langevin equation is linear, which points out that nonlinear friction forces possess a macroscopic hydrodynamic origin [1]. For this reason, they are not present in the modern quantum theory of open systems [5]. The scope of the present paper is to investigate the nonlinear friction effect on quantum mechanics. The analysis is based on a dissipative Madelung quantum hydrodynamics. Thus, the nonlinear friction is a result of nonlinear non-equilibrium thermodynamics in contrast to the traditional mechanical nonlinear friction forces. A quantum particle in vacuum is described by the Schrodinger equation

•Jan 1, 2012•3 citations
We construct a quantum counterpart of classical friction, a dissipative force acting against the direction of motion with the magnitude proportional to particle's velocity. In particular, a Lindblad master equation is derived satisfying the appropriate dynamical relations for observables (i.e., the Ehrenfest theorems). These findings significantly advance a long search for a universal valid Lindbladian model of quantum friction.
Dissipative forces are ubiquitous and thus constitute an essential part of realistic physical theories. However, quantization of dissipation has remained an open challenge for nearly a century. We construct a quantum counterpart of classical friction, a velocity-dependent force acting against the direction of motion. In particular, a translationary invariant Lindblad equation is derived satisfying the appropriate dynamical relations for the coordinate and momentum (i.e., the Ehrenfest equations). Numerical simulations establish that the model approximately equilibrates. These findings significantly advance a long search for a universally valid Lindblad model of quantum friction and open opportunities for exploring novel dissipation phenomena.
Similarity of equations of motion for the classical and quantum trajectories is used to introduce a friction term dependent on the wavefunction phase into the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The term describes irreversible energy loss by the quantum system. The force of friction is proportional to the velocity of a quantum trajectory. The resulting Schrödinger equation is nonlinear, conserves wavefunction normalization, and evolves an arbitrary wavefunction into the ground state of the system (of appropriate symmetry if applicable). Decrease in energy is proportional to the average kinetic energy of the quantum trajectory ensemble. Dynamics in the high friction regime is suitable for simple models of reactions proceeding with energy transfer from the system to the environment. Examples of dynamics are given for single and symmetric and asymmetric double well potentials.
Open quantum systems play a central role in contemporary nanoscale technologies, including molecular electronics, quantum heat engines, quantum computation and information processing. A major theoretical challenge is to construct dynamical models that are simultaneously consistent with classical thermodynamics and complete positivity. In this work, we develop a framework that addresses this issue by extending classical stochastic dynamics to the quantum domain. We begin by formulating a generalized Langevin equation in which both friction and noise act symmetrically on the two Hamiltonian equations. From this, we derive a generalized Klein-Kramers equation expressed in terms of Poisson brackets, and we show that it admits the Boltzmann distribution as its stationary solution while satisfying the first and second laws of thermodynamics along individual trajectories. Applying canonical quantization to this classical framework yields two distinct quantum master equations, depending on whether the friction operators are taken to be Hermitian or non-Hermitian. By analyzing the dynamics of a harmonic oscillator, we determine the conditions under which these equations reduce to a Lindblad-type generator. Our results demonstrate that complete positivity is ensured only when friction and noise are included in both Hamiltonian equations, thus fully justifying the classical construction. Moreover, we find that the friction coefficients must satisfy the same positivity condition in both the Hermitian and non-Hermitian formulations, revealing a form of universality that transcends the specific operator representation. The formalism offers a versatile tool for deriving quantum versions of the thermodynamic laws and is directly applicable to a wide class of nonequilibrium nanoscale systems.
Using the classical trajectory we quantize the motion of a pointlike particle of mass m and energy 1/2${\mathit{mx}\mathit{\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}}}_{0}^{2}$ under the influence of the force Fn{\mathit{F}}_{\mathit{n}}Fn​=-\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\Vert}x\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Vert}}}^{\mathit{n}}$, \ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0, n=1,2,.... Such forces are frictional only for x\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0 and antifrictional for x\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}0 and can be simulated through the gradient of a one-parameter class of energy-dependent potentials Vn{\mathit{V}}_{\mathit{n}}Vn​(x;x${\mathrm{\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}}}_{0}$), which increase monotonically in x. This permits one to construct a class of Lagrange and Hamilton functions that do not contain any integrating functions. We then proceed to quantization and study the quantum scattering problem assuming that Fn{\mathit{F}}_{\mathit{n}}Fn​ acts on a finite interval of the x axis only. The stationary problem can be solved analytically for all n, and quantitative examples are shown for n=2. The time-dependent scattering problem is discussed with emphasis on Ehrenfest's theorems and on linear damping n=1. When the quantum-mechanical probability for reflection is small the method provides an approximation to the motion of a wave packet through a dissipative medium, with velocity-power forces Fdn{\mathit{F}}_{\mathit{dn}}Fdn​=-\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\Vert}x\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Vert}}}^{\mathit{n}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$x\ifmmode \dot{}\else \.{}\fi{}. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
We construct and study the simplest universal dissipative Lindblad master equation for many-body systems with the purpose of a new dissipative extension of existing nonrelativistic theories of fundamental spontaneous decoherence and spontaneous wave function collapse in nature. It is universal as it is written in terms of second-quantized mass density $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\ensuremath{\varrho}}$ and current $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{\mathbf{J}}$, thus making it independent of the material structure and its parameters. Assuming linear friction in the current, we find that the dissipative structure is strictly constrained. Following the general structure of our dissipative Lindblad equation, we derive and analyze the dissipative extensions of the two most known spontaneous wave function collapse models, the Di\'osi-Penrose and the continuous spontaneous localization models.
Nonlinear friction forces are a problem in classical Brownian motion for a long time [1]. They are described either by Langevin or by Fokker-Planck equations [2-4]. However, the rigorous generalized Langevin equation is linear, which points out that nonlinear friction forces possess a macroscopic hydrodynamic origin [1]. For this reason, they are not present in the modern quantum theory of open systems [5]. The scope of the present paper is to investigate the nonlinear friction effect on quantum mechanics. The analysis is based on a dissipative Madelung quantum hydrodynamics. Thus, the nonlinear friction is a result of nonlinear non-equilibrium thermodynamics in contrast to the traditional mechanical nonlinear friction forces. A quantum particle in vacuum is described by the Schrodinger equation