A Quantum system can be viewed as a larger closed system comprising of two components: an open quantum system and its surrounding environment. These two components interact with each other, and in the realm of theoretical physics, this interaction cannot be neglected. This eBook A Quantum system can be viewed as a larger closed system comprising of two components: an open quantum system and its surrounding environment. These two components interact with each other, and in the realm of theoretical physics, this interaction cannot be neglected. This eBook explains mathematical and statistical coA Quantum system can be viewed as a larger closed system comprising of two components: an open quantum system and its surrounding environment. These two components interact with each other, and in the realm of theoretical physics, this interaction cannot be neglected. This eBook A Quantum system can be viewed as a larger closed system comprising of two components: an open quantum system and its surrounding environment. These two components interact with each other, and in the realm of theoretical physics, this interaction cannot be neglected. This eBook explains mathematical and statistical co

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooksDec 17, 20148 citations

Thermodynamics of Open Quantum Systems

Juliette Monsel

Springer thesesJan 1, 20200 citations

Control of Quantum Energy Transport by Environmental Engineering

Chikako Uchiyama

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyMar 5, 20200 citations

Introduction

This eBook is devoted to the domain of physics we call Open Quantum Physics, which seemed important for the new field of research of the environmental heat conversion into usable energy. For this research, a special mathematical tool has been used, consisting of master equations for systems of particles as Fermions, Bosons, and electromagnetic field. This effort was based on the previous results of Lindblad, Sandulescu, and Scutaru for a description of the dissipative coupling of a system of interest in accordance with the quantum principles. We used the method of Ford, Lewis, and O’Connell for reducing the total dynamics to a master equation for a system of interest. The results of our research are presented in this eBook in a more general framework of open physics.This eBook is devoted to the domain of physics we call Open Quantum Physics, which seemed important for the new field of research of the environmental heat conversion into usable energy. For this research, a special mathematical tool has been used, consisting of master equations for systems of particles as Fermions, Bosons, and electromagnetic field. This effort was based on the previous results of Lindblad, Sandulescu, and Scutaru for a description of the dissipative coupling of a system of interest in accordance with the quantum principles. We used the method of Ford, Lewis, and O’Connell for reducing the total dynamics to a master equation for a system of interest. The results of our research are presented in this eBook in a more general framework of open physics.

BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS eBooksDec 17, 20140 citations

Environmental Control Extends Beyond Quantum Dephasing in Exciton Energy Transfer

Junhua Zhou, Tianrui Chen, Dehao Yuan +8 more

Excitation-energy transfer underpins the conversion of light into usable energy in photosynthetic organisms and serves as a paradigm for evolutionary optimized transport in open quantum systems. Although this process is often described as incoherent thermally assisted hopping, such descriptions become inadequate when electronic coupling, vibronic interactions and environmental fluctuations occur on comparable energy scales. Determining how the environment controls transport therefore remains a fundamental challenge. Here, we use temperature-dependent 2DES to investigate energy transfer in the photosynthetic antenna protein allophycocyanin over the range 10 - 296 K. The dominant $β\rightarrow α$ transfer step exhibits a pronounced non-monotonic temperature dependence: the transfer time decreases from 400 fs at 10 K to 200 fs near 30- 40 K before increasing again to 400 fs at 296 K. In contrast, the homogeneous optical dephasing time decreases monotonically across the same temperature range. To interpret these observations, we model APC as a vibronically coupled excitonic dimer interacting with a structured environment and solve the dynamics using hierarchical equations of motion. Conventional fixed-bath models, including Drude-Lorentz and explicit intermolecular-mode spectral densities, fail to reproduce the observed turnover. Quantitative agreement is obtained only when the low-frequency sector of the environmental spectral density is allowed to anharmonically evolve strongly with temperature, while the high-frequency bath remains essentially unchanged. More broadly, these findings demonstrate that transport efficiency is controlled not simply by the magnitude of environmental fluctuations, but by the distribution of environmental spectral weight across frequency space, providing new experimental constraints on theories of molecular transport in complex quantum environments.Excitation-energy transfer underpins the conversion of light into usable energy in photosynthetic organisms and serves as a paradigm for evolutionary optimized transport in open quantum systems. Although this process is often described as incoherent thermally assisted hopping, such descriptions become inadequate when electronic coupling, vibronic interactions and environmental fluctuations occur on comparable energy scales. Determining how the environment controls transport therefore remains a fundamental challenge. Here, we use temperature-dependent 2DES to investigate energy transfer in the photosynthetic antenna protein allophycocyanin over the range 10 - 296 K. The dominant $β\rightarrow α$ transfer step exhibits a pronounced non-monotonic temperature dependence: the transfer time decreases from 400 fs at 10 K to 200 fs near 30- 40 K before increasing again to 400 fs at 296 K. In contrast, the homogeneous optical dephasing time decreases monotonically across the same temperature range. To interpret these observations, we model APC as a vibronically coupled excitonic dimer interacting with a structured environment and solve the dynamics using hierarchical equations of motion. Conventional fixed-bath models, including Drude-Lorentz and explicit intermolecular-mode spectral densities, fail to reproduce the observed turnover. Quantitative agreement is obtained only when the low-frequency sector of the environmental spectral density is allowed to anharmonically evolve strongly with temperature, while the high-frequency bath remains essentially unchanged. More broadly, these findings demonstrate that transport efficiency is controlled not simply by the magnitude of environmental fluctuations, but by the distribution of environmental spectral weight across frequency space, providing new experimental constraints on theories of molecular transport in complex quantum environments.

physics.chem-phCross-listedarXiv:2608.23423Aug 25, 2026

Quantum theory for sustainability transformations

Cyrille Rigolot

Research outreachApr 15, 20201 citation

β\rightarrow α

transfer step exhibits a pronounced non-monotonic temperature dependence: the transfer time decreases from 400 fs at 10 K to 200 fs near 30- 40 K before increasing again to 400 fs at 296 K. In contrast, the homogeneous optical dephasing time decreases monotonically across the same temperature range. To interpret these observations, we model APC as a vibronically coupled excitonic dimer interacting with a structured environment and solve the dynamics using hierarchical equations of motion. Conventional fixed-bath models, including Drude-Lorentz and explicit intermolecular-mode spectral densities, fail to reproduce the observed turnover. Quantitative agreement is obtained only when the low-frequency sector of the environmental spectral density is allowed to anharmonically evolve strongly with temperature, while the high-frequency bath remains essentially unchanged. More broadly, these findings demonstrate that transport efficiency is controlled not simply by the magnitude of environmental fluctuations, but by the distribution of environmental spectral weight across frequency space, providing new experimental constraints on theories of molecular transport in complex quantum environments.