The Journal of Chemical Physics
Quantum kinetic expansion in the spin-boson model: Matrix formulation and system-bath factorized initial state
Zhihao Gong, Zhoufei Tang, Haobin Wang, Jianlan Wu
Abstract
Within the framework of the hierarchy equation of motion (HEOM), the quantum kinetic expansion (QKE) method of the spin-boson model is reformulated in the matrix representation. The equivalence between the two formulations (HEOM matrices and quantum operators) is numerically verified from the calculation of the time-integrated QKE rates. The matrix formulation of the QKE is extended to the system-bath factorized initial state. Following a one-to-one mapping between HEOM matrices and quantum operators, a quantum kinetic equation is rederived. The rate kernel is modified by an extra term following a systematic expansion over the site-site coupling. This modified QKE is numerically tested for its reliability by calculating the time-integrated rate and non-Markovian population kinetics. For an intermediate-to-strong dissipation strength and a large site-site coupling, the population transfer is found to be significantly different when the initial condition is changed from the local equilibrium to system-bath factorized state.