We derive a
c-number generalized Langevin equation (GLE) describing the evolution of the expectation values ${\ensuremath{\langle}{x}_{i}\ensuremath{\rangle}}_{t}$ of the atomic position operators
xi of an open system. The latter is coupled linearly to a harmonic bath kept at a fixed temperature. The equations of motion contain a non-Markovian friction term with the classical kernel [L. Kantorovich, Phys. Rev. B 78, 094304 (2008)] and a zero mean non-Gaussian random force with correlation functions that depend on the initial preparation of the open system. We used a density operator formalism without assuming that initially the combined system was decoupled. The only approximation made in deriving quantum GLE consists of assuming that the Hamiltonian of the open system at time
t can be expanded up to the second order with respect to operators of atomic displacements ${u}_{i}={x}_{i}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\langle}{x}_{i}\ensuremath{\rangle}}_{t}$ in the open system around their exact atomic positions ${\ensuremath{\langle}{x}_{i}\ensuremath{\rangle}}_{t}$ (the ``harmonization'' approximation). The noise is introduced to ensure that sampling many quantum GLE trajectories yields exactly the average one. An explicit expression for the pair correlation function of the noise, consistent with the classical limit, is also proposed. Unlike the usually considered quantum operator GLE, the proposed
c-number quantum GLE can be used in direct molecular dynamic simulations of open systems under general equilibrium or nonequilibrium conditions.
Based on the experimental evidence that impurities contribute to the dissipation properties of solid-state open quantum systems, we provide here a description in terms of nonlinear quantum Langevin equations of the role played by two-level systems in the dynamics of a bosonic degree of freedom. Our starting point is represented by the description of the system-environment coupling in terms of coupling to two separate reservoirs, modeling the interaction with external bosonic modes and two-level systems, respectively. Furthermore, we show how this model represents a specific example of a class of open quantum systems that can be described by nonlinear quantum Langevin equations. Our analysis offers a potential explanation of the parametric effects recently observed in circuit-QED cavity optomechanics experiments.
We introduce a Langevin unravelling of the density matrix evolution of an open quantum system over matrix product states, which we term the time-dependent variational principle-Langevin equation. This allows the study of entanglement dynamics as a function of both temperature and coupling to the environment. As the strength of coupling to and temperature of the environment is increased, we find a transition where the entanglement of the individual trajectories saturates, permitting a classical simulation of the system for all times. This is the Hamiltonian open system counterpart of the saturation in entanglement found in random circuits with projective or weak measurements. If a system is open, there is a limit to the advantage in simulating its behaviour on a quantum computer, even when that evolution harbours important quantum effects. Moreover, if a quantum simulator is in this phase, it cannot simulate with quantum advantage.