From the classical diffusion equation to quantum master equation for describing optical diffusion

李学超 LI Xue-chao, 范洪义 FAN Hong-yi

Tang-Kun Liu, Chuan-Jia Shan, Jibing Liu +1 more

The evolution of a pure coherent state into a chaotic state is described very well by a master equation, as is validated via an examination of the coherent state's evolution during the diffusion process, fully utilizing the technique of integration within an ordered product (IWOP) of operators. The same equation also describes a limitation that maintains the coherence in a weak diffusion process, i.e., when the dissipation is very weak and the initial average photon number is large. This equation is dρ/ d t = −κ[ a + a ρ − a + ρ a − a ρ a + + ρ aa + ]. The physical difference between this diffusion equation and the better-known amplitude damping master equation is pointed out.

W. T. Coffey, Yuri P. Kalmykov, С. В. Титов +1 more

Recent progress in our understanding of quantum effects on the Brownian motion in an external potential is reviewed. This problem is ubiquitous in physics and chemistry, particularly in the context of decay of metastable states, for example, the reversal of the magnetization of a single domain ferromagnetic particle, kinetics of a superconducting tunnelling junction, etc. Emphasis is laid on the establishment of master equations describing the diffusion process in phase space analogous to the classical Fokker-Planck equation. In particular, it is shown how Wigner's [E. P. Wigner, Phys. Rev., 1932, 40, 749] method of obtaining quantum corrections to the classical equilibrium Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution may be extended to the dissipative non-equilibrium dynamics governing the quantum Brownian motion in an external potential V(x), yielding a master equation for the Wigner distribution function W(x,p,t) in phase space (x,p). The explicit form of the master equation so obtained contains quantum correction terms up to o(h(4)) and in the classical limit, h --> 0, reduces to the classical Klein-Kramers equation. For a quantum oscillator, the method yields an evolution equation coinciding in all respects with that of Agarwal [G. S. Agarwal, Phys. Rev. A, 1971, 4, 739]. In the high dissipation limit, the master equation reduces to a semi-classical Smoluchowski equation describing non-inertial quantum diffusion in configuration space. The Wigner function formulation of quantum Brownian motion is further illustrated by finding quantum corrections to the Kramers escape rate, which, in appropriate limits, reduce to those yielded via quantum generalizations of reaction rate theory.

Gautam Gangopadhyay, Deb Shankar Ray

F. Gao, Heng Fan, Feng Shuang +1 more

Based on the Kraus-form solution to the master equation describing diffusion we develop an integral form solution by using the method of integration within ordered product of operators, i.e., the evolution law of density operator in diffusion channel can be considered as an integration transformation from an input to its output density operator. It brings much convenience for obtaining the time evolution law in the diffusion process via this formalism.

Stephen Mark Barnett, Stig Stenholm, David Thomas Pegg