Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Dissipative Quantum Dynamics and Decoherence

Viktor Löfgren

Published Jan 1, 2011• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Abstract This thesis has two parts, in the first, the Caldeira-Leggett model is introduced; its derivation and general consequences are explored following a paper by Caldeira and Leggett[1]. An operator-formalism shortcut through some of the more mathematically cumbersome parts of the derivation of the model is also developed. The correlation of the force resulting from reservoir-interaction is examined in the high- and low-temperature limits, and the Langevin equation is shown to emerge in the classical limit.Abstract The second part introduces decoherence through a thought experiment that demonstrates the destructive effect of random phase shifts on interference terms, and then follows another paper by Caldeira and Leggett[2] in applying their model further to study the phenomenon of dissipative decoherence. The time-evolution of the interference terms in a superposition of Gaussian wave packets in a harmonic oscillator potential is studied when interacting with a heat bath, and they are shown to vanish at a rate much faster than the relaxation of the system.

Related papers

Decoherence of Coupled Quantum Oscillators: Going Beyond the Caldeira-Leggett Approximation

Björn Bartels

We calculate the reduced density matrix for a system of coupled harmonic oscillators in a bosonic heat bath using the Born-Markov approximation and show that the expectation values of position and momentum evolve like classical quantities. We consider the cases where every oscillator is coupled to its own reservoir and where all oscillators are coupled to the same heat bath, pointing out the differences between these two models. In particular, for systems coupled to a common reservoir, we present an uncommon dissipation mechanism, which disappears, when the dynamics of the system are gouverned by the low frequency modes of the environment (Caldeira-Leggett limit). We also address the interesting phenomenon of reservoir-induced interactions.

arXiv:1106.1371•Jun 7, 2011•0 citations

Effects of an External Field and Dissipation on Decoherence

Zuo, Jian

Decoherence is the suppression of the interference of quantum states. It plays important roles in the study of the quantum-classical transition. It is also the major obstacle in the implementation of various schemes of quantum computers. Decoherence can be affected by many factors. The interactions between quantum systems of interest and dissipative environments cause the extensively studied environment-induced-decoherence. Decoherence can also occur as the result of a temperature effect. A recent experiment investigated the engineering of decoherence, which involves applying an external field to the quantum system. In this thesis, we study the effect of an external field on decoherence in the case of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a heat bath by calculating its contribution to the attenuation coefficient, which is a measure of decoherence in coordinate space and involves directly observable probability distributions. It is found that, while non-random external force does not result in decoherence, a random external force can lead to intrinsic decoherence that does not require a dissipative environment. The attenuation coefficient for a free harmonic oscillator in a dissipative environment is also calculated using the solution of the initial value quantum Langevin equation. One of the key results obtained is that ”decoherence without dissipation” does not occur in the case of a free harmonic oscillator, in contrast to the case of a free particle.

Civil War Book Review•Apr 20, 2006•0 citations

An information theory model for dissipation in open quantum systems

David O. Williams Rogers

This work presents a general model for open quantum systems using an information game along the lines of Jaynes' original work. It is shown how an energy based reweighting of propagators provides a novel moment generating function at each time point in the process. Derivatives of the generating function give moments of the time derivatives of observables. Aside from the mathematically helpful properties, the ansatz reproduces key physics of stochastic quantum processes. At high temperature, the average density matrix follows the Caldeira-Leggett equation. Its associated Langevin equation clearly demonstrates the emergence of dissipation and decoherence time scales, as well as an additional diffusion due to quantum confinement. A consistent interpretation of these results is that decoherence and wavefunction collapse during measurement are directly related to the degree of environmental noise, and thus occur because of subjective uncertainty of an observer.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Aug 1, 2017•1 citation

Decoherence and the Intersection of Classical Trajectory

Takuji Ishikawa

Decoherence [1] is a kind of non-unitary process and it is a disappearance of quantum interference among different state vectors. Its origin is known as external fluctuations and dissipations [2] (and observations), these are irreversible processes. Decoherence means a ”wave function collapse”. Because when interference vanishes, the system can not go to any other quantum states. It means the system gets classicality. By research of Caldeira-Leggett [3, 4], it was shown that decoherence happens in a main system with heat bath which consisted of a infinite number of harmonic oscillators and which was used as an environment. Although this means that ”temperature” induces decoherence, it is not essence. Because decoherence would arise in a finite system in which it is difficult to define the ”temperature”. In order to define a statistical quantity like temperature, it is said that ergodicity (time average = statistical average) [5] is needed. For ergodicity of a system, chaos seems to be sufficient condition, but it would not be necessary condition. Please imagine a closed system, there three particles are mutually tied with springs which have different angular frequencies respectively. Lagrangean L is as follow. (x1 means position of particle-1, etc.)

Asia Pacific Physics Conference (APPC)•Mar 19, 2014•0 citations

Decoherence of a quantum magneto-oscillator: Effect of field-bath interaction

Koushik Mandal, Suraka Bhattacharjee, Supurna Sinha

We investigate the quantum dissipative dynamics of a charged magneto-oscillator(CMO) coupled to a heat bath of harmonic oscillators in the presence of an additional field-bath interaction. The problem is formulated within the framework of the generalized quantum Langevin equation, where the external confining potential modifies the random force correlations and the memory kernel of the environment, and the effective spring constant. Using the corresponding non-Markovian master equation, we examine the influence of the field-bath coupling on the temporal decay of the reduced density matrix of the system. We show that the additional interaction leads to an enhancement of the decoherence rate by altering the dissipative response of the bath. Thus our results shed light on the role of field-bath coupling in the quantum to classical transition of a CMO. The resulting fluctuation-dissipation relation is analyzed, and the position autocorrelation, position-velocity correlation and velocity autocorrelation are obtained explicitly. The dependence of these experimentally accessible quantities on the field-bath coupling parameter is discussed. We outline an experimental proposal for testing our theoretical predictions. The study sheds light on reservoir engineering which is central to quantum technologies.

quant-pharXiv:2607.11137•Jul 14, 2026•0 citations

Quantum dissipation and decoherence via interaction with low-dimensional chaos: A Feynman-Vernon approach

Marcus V. S. Bonança, Marcus A. M. de Aguiar

We study the effects of dissipation and decoherence induced on a harmonic oscillator by the coupling to a chaotic system with two degrees of freedom. Using the Feynman-Vernon approach and treating the chaotic system semiclassically, we show that the effects of the low-dimensional chaotic environment are in many ways similar to those produced by thermal baths. The classical correlation and response functions play important roles in both classical and quantum formulations. Our results are qualitatively similar to the high-temperature regime of the Caldeira-Leggett model.

arXiv:quant-ph/0605037•Physical Review A•Jul 31, 2006•7 citations
Abstract This thesis has two parts, in the first, the Caldeira-Leggett model is introduced; its derivation and general consequences are explored following a paper by Caldeira and Leggett[1]. An operator-formalism shortcut through some of the more mathematically cumbersome parts of the derivation of the model is also developed. The correlation of the force resulting from reservoir-interaction is examined in the high- and low-temperature limits, and the Langevin equation is shown to emerge in the classical limit.Abstract The second part introduces decoherence through a thought experiment that demonstrates the destructive effect of random phase shifts on interference terms, and then follows another paper by Caldeira and Leggett[2] in applying their model further to study the phenomenon of dissipative decoherence. The time-evolution of the interference terms in a superposition of Gaussian wave packets in a harmonic oscillator potential is studied when interacting with a heat bath, and they are shown to vanish at a rate much faster than the relaxation of the system.
We calculate the reduced density matrix for a system of coupled harmonic oscillators in a bosonic heat bath using the Born-Markov approximation and show that the expectation values of position and momentum evolve like classical quantities. We consider the cases where every oscillator is coupled to its own reservoir and where all oscillators are coupled to the same heat bath, pointing out the differences between these two models. In particular, for systems coupled to a common reservoir, we present an uncommon dissipation mechanism, which disappears, when the dynamics of the system are gouverned by the low frequency modes of the environment (Caldeira-Leggett limit). We also address the interesting phenomenon of reservoir-induced interactions.
Decoherence is the suppression of the interference of quantum states. It plays important roles in the study of the quantum-classical transition. It is also the major obstacle in the implementation of various schemes of quantum computers. Decoherence can be affected by many factors. The interactions between quantum systems of interest and dissipative environments cause the extensively studied environment-induced-decoherence. Decoherence can also occur as the result of a temperature effect. A recent experiment investigated the engineering of decoherence, which involves applying an external field to the quantum system. In this thesis, we study the effect of an external field on decoherence in the case of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a heat bath by calculating its contribution to the attenuation coefficient, which is a measure of decoherence in coordinate space and involves directly observable probability distributions. It is found that, while non-random external force does not result in decoherence, a random external force can lead to intrinsic decoherence that does not require a dissipative environment. The attenuation coefficient for a free harmonic oscillator in a dissipative environment is also calculated using the solution of the initial value quantum Langevin equation. One of the key results obtained is that ”decoherence without dissipation” does not occur in the case of a free harmonic oscillator, in contrast to the case of a free particle.
This work presents a general model for open quantum systems using an information game along the lines of Jaynes' original work. It is shown how an energy based reweighting of propagators provides a novel moment generating function at each time point in the process. Derivatives of the generating function give moments of the time derivatives of observables. Aside from the mathematically helpful properties, the ansatz reproduces key physics of stochastic quantum processes. At high temperature, the average density matrix follows the Caldeira-Leggett equation. Its associated Langevin equation clearly demonstrates the emergence of dissipation and decoherence time scales, as well as an additional diffusion due to quantum confinement. A consistent interpretation of these results is that decoherence and wavefunction collapse during measurement are directly related to the degree of environmental noise, and thus occur because of subjective uncertainty of an observer.
Decoherence [1] is a kind of non-unitary process and it is a disappearance of quantum interference among different state vectors. Its origin is known as external fluctuations and dissipations [2] (and observations), these are irreversible processes. Decoherence means a ”wave function collapse”. Because when interference vanishes, the system can not go to any other quantum states. It means the system gets classicality. By research of Caldeira-Leggett [3, 4], it was shown that decoherence happens in a main system with heat bath which consisted of a infinite number of harmonic oscillators and which was used as an environment. Although this means that ”temperature” induces decoherence, it is not essence. Because decoherence would arise in a finite system in which it is difficult to define the ”temperature”. In order to define a statistical quantity like temperature, it is said that ergodicity (time average = statistical average) [5] is needed. For ergodicity of a system, chaos seems to be sufficient condition, but it would not be necessary condition. Please imagine a closed system, there three particles are mutually tied with springs which have different angular frequencies respectively. Lagrangean L is as follow. (x1 means position of particle-1, etc.)
We investigate the quantum dissipative dynamics of a charged magneto-oscillator(CMO) coupled to a heat bath of harmonic oscillators in the presence of an additional field-bath interaction. The problem is formulated within the framework of the generalized quantum Langevin equation, where the external confining potential modifies the random force correlations and the memory kernel of the environment, and the effective spring constant. Using the corresponding non-Markovian master equation, we examine the influence of the field-bath coupling on the temporal decay of the reduced density matrix of the system. We show that the additional interaction leads to an enhancement of the decoherence rate by altering the dissipative response of the bath. Thus our results shed light on the role of field-bath coupling in the quantum to classical transition of a CMO. The resulting fluctuation-dissipation relation is analyzed, and the position autocorrelation, position-velocity correlation and velocity autocorrelation are obtained explicitly. The dependence of these experimentally accessible quantities on the field-bath coupling parameter is discussed. We outline an experimental proposal for testing our theoretical predictions. The study sheds light on reservoir engineering which is central to quantum technologies.
We study the effects of dissipation and decoherence induced on a harmonic oscillator by the coupling to a chaotic system with two degrees of freedom. Using the Feynman-Vernon approach and treating the chaotic system semiclassically, we show that the effects of the low-dimensional chaotic environment are in many ways similar to those produced by thermal baths. The classical correlation and response functions play important roles in both classical and quantum formulations. Our results are qualitatively similar to the high-temperature regime of the Caldeira-Leggett model.