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

arXiv:cond-mat/9607160 · Annalen der Physik

Low temperature equilibrium correlation functions in dissipative quantum systems

Stefan K. Kehrein, Andreas Mielke

Published Jan 1, 1997• 67 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract We introduce a new theoretical approach to dissipative quantum systems. By means of a continuous sequence of infinitesimal unitary transformations, we decouple the small quantum system that one is interested in from its thermodynamically large environment. This yields a trivial final transformed Hamiltonian. Dissipation enters through the observation that generically observables “decay” completely under these unitary transformations, i.e. are completely transformed into other terms. As a nontrivial example the spin‐boson model is discussed in some detail. For the super‐Ohmic bath we obtain a very satisfactory description of short, intermediate and long time scales at small temperatures. This can be tested from the generalized Shiba‐relation that is fulfilled within numerical errors.

DOI
10.1002/andp.19975090203

Related papers

Universality in the dissipative two-state system

Maura Sassetti, Ulrich Weiß

The thermodynamics and dynamics of the spin-boson model are formulated in terms of the exact formal solutions. The low-temperature features of the free energy, the static susceptibility, and the equilibrium correlation function are presented for Ohmic and super-Ohmic dissipation, and various universal properties are deduced. In the Ohmic case the Wilson ratio and the spectral properties at low frequencies (Shiba's relation) are calculation in the range 01 of the coupling strength. The corresponding universal relations are determined also for super-Ohmic dissipation.

Physical Review Letters•Oct 29, 1990•75 citations

Unitary Approaches to Dissipative Quantum Dynamics

Matteo Bonfanti, Rocco Martinazzo

We describe in detail a general system–bath strategy for investigating the quantum behavior of small systems interacting with complex environments. In this approach, a simplified heat bath is used as a surrogate for realistic environments, and explicit, unitary quantum simulations of the “universe” (the system plus the bath) are performed by means of high-dimensional wave-packet techniques. In this chapter, we describe the underlying Hamiltonians and the related reduced dynamical descriptions, show how to recast real-world problems into this form, introduce some of the methods currently used to deal with high-dimensional quantum dynamics, and present the results of this strategy when applied to numerous problems of physicochemical interest.

InTech eBooks•Aug 24, 2016•2 citations

A unitary perturbation theory approach to real-time evolution problems

Andreas Hackl, Stefan K. Kehrein

We discuss a new analytical approach to real-time evolution in quantum many-body systems. Our approach extends the framework of continuous unitary transformations such that it amounts to a novel solution method for the Heisenberg equations of motion for an operator. It is our purpose to illustrate the accuracy of this approach by studying dissipative quantum systems on all timescales. In particular, we obtain results for non-equilibrium correlation functions for general initial conditions. We illustrate our ideas for the exactly solvable dissipative oscillator and, as a non-trivial model, for the dissipative two-state system.

arXiv:0809.3524•Journal of Physics Condensed Matter•Dec 1, 2008•36 citations

Stochastic description of quantum Brownian dynamics

Yun‐An Yan, Jiushu Shao

Classical Brownian motion has well been investigated since the pioneering work of Einstein, which inspired mathematicians to lay the theoretical foundation of stochastic processes. A stochastic formulation for quantum dynamics of dissipative systems described by the system-plus-bath model has been developed and found many applications in chemical dynamics, spectroscopy, quantum transport, and other fields. This article provides a tutorial review of the stochastic formulation for quantum dissipative dynamics. The key idea is to decouple the interaction between the system and the bath by virtue of the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation or Itô calculus so that the system and the bath are not directly entangled during evolution, rather they are correlated due to the complex white noises introduced. The influence of the bath on the system is thereby defined by an induced stochastic field, which leads to the stochastic Liouville equation for the system. The exact reduced density matrix can be calculated as the stochastic average in the presence of bath-induced fields. In general, the plain implementation of the stochastic formulation is only useful for short-time dynamics, but not efficient for long-time dynamics as the statistical errors go very fast. For linear and other specific systems, the stochastic Liouville equation is a good starting point to derive the master equation. For general systems with decomposable bath-induced processes, the hierarchical approach in the form of a set of deterministic equations of motion is derived based on the stochastic formulation and provides an effective means for simulating the dissipative dynamics. A combination of the stochastic simulation and the hierarchical approach is suggested to solve the zero-temperature dynamics of the spin-boson model. This scheme correctly describes the coherent-incoherent transition (Toulouse limit) at moderate dissipation and predicts a rate dynamics in the overdamped regime. Challenging problems such as the dynamical description of quantum phase transition (local- ization) and the numerical stability of the trace-conserving, nonlinear stochastic Liouville equation are outlined.

Frontiers of Physics•May 1, 2016•50 citations

Dynamical regimes of dissipative quantum systems

Dante Marvin Kennes, Oleksiy Kashuba, V. Meden

We reveal several distinct regimes of the relaxation dynamics of a small quantum system coupled to an environment within the plane of the dissipation strength and the reservoir temperature. This is achieved by discriminating between coherent dynamics with damped oscillatory behavior on all time scales, partially coherent behavior being nonmonotonic at intermediate times but monotonic at large ones, and purely monotonic incoherent decay. Surprisingly, elevated temperature can render the system ``more coherent'' by inducing a transition from the partially coherent to the coherent regime. This provides a refined view on the relaxation dynamics of open quantum systems.

arXiv:1309.7860•Physical Review B•Dec 20, 2013•10 citations

Theory of open quantum systems

Rui‐Xue Xu, YiJing Yan

A quantum dissipation theory is constructed with the system–bath interaction being treated rigorously at the second-order cumulant level for both reduced dynamics and initial canonical boundary condition. The theory is valid for arbitrary bath correlation functions and time-dependent external driving fields, and satisfies correlated detailed-balance relation at any temperatures. The general formulation assumes a particularly simple form in driven Brownian oscillator systems in which the correlated driving-dissipation effects can be accounted for exactly in terms of local-field correction. Remarks on a class of widely used phenomenological quantum master equations that neglects the bath dispersion-induced dissipation are also made in contact with the present theory.

The Journal of Chemical Physics•May 9, 2002•5,903 citations
Abstract We introduce a new theoretical approach to dissipative quantum systems. By means of a continuous sequence of infinitesimal unitary transformations, we decouple the small quantum system that one is interested in from its thermodynamically large environment. This yields a trivial final transformed Hamiltonian. Dissipation enters through the observation that generically observables “decay” completely under these unitary transformations, i.e. are completely transformed into other terms. As a nontrivial example the spin‐boson model is discussed in some detail. For the super‐Ohmic bath we obtain a very satisfactory description of short, intermediate and long time scales at small temperatures. This can be tested from the generalized Shiba‐relation that is fulfilled within numerical errors.
The thermodynamics and dynamics of the spin-boson model are formulated in terms of the exact formal solutions. The low-temperature features of the free energy, the static susceptibility, and the equilibrium correlation function are presented for Ohmic and super-Ohmic dissipation, and various universal properties are deduced. In the Ohmic case the Wilson ratio and the spectral properties at low frequencies (Shiba's relation) are calculation in the range 01 of the coupling strength. The corresponding universal relations are determined also for super-Ohmic dissipation.
We describe in detail a general system–bath strategy for investigating the quantum behavior of small systems interacting with complex environments. In this approach, a simplified heat bath is used as a surrogate for realistic environments, and explicit, unitary quantum simulations of the “universe” (the system plus the bath) are performed by means of high-dimensional wave-packet techniques. In this chapter, we describe the underlying Hamiltonians and the related reduced dynamical descriptions, show how to recast real-world problems into this form, introduce some of the methods currently used to deal with high-dimensional quantum dynamics, and present the results of this strategy when applied to numerous problems of physicochemical interest.
We discuss a new analytical approach to real-time evolution in quantum many-body systems. Our approach extends the framework of continuous unitary transformations such that it amounts to a novel solution method for the Heisenberg equations of motion for an operator. It is our purpose to illustrate the accuracy of this approach by studying dissipative quantum systems on all timescales. In particular, we obtain results for non-equilibrium correlation functions for general initial conditions. We illustrate our ideas for the exactly solvable dissipative oscillator and, as a non-trivial model, for the dissipative two-state system.
Classical Brownian motion has well been investigated since the pioneering work of Einstein, which inspired mathematicians to lay the theoretical foundation of stochastic processes. A stochastic formulation for quantum dynamics of dissipative systems described by the system-plus-bath model has been developed and found many applications in chemical dynamics, spectroscopy, quantum transport, and other fields. This article provides a tutorial review of the stochastic formulation for quantum dissipative dynamics. The key idea is to decouple the interaction between the system and the bath by virtue of the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation or Itô calculus so that the system and the bath are not directly entangled during evolution, rather they are correlated due to the complex white noises introduced. The influence of the bath on the system is thereby defined by an induced stochastic field, which leads to the stochastic Liouville equation for the system. The exact reduced density matrix can be calculated as the stochastic average in the presence of bath-induced fields. In general, the plain implementation of the stochastic formulation is only useful for short-time dynamics, but not efficient for long-time dynamics as the statistical errors go very fast. For linear and other specific systems, the stochastic Liouville equation is a good starting point to derive the master equation. For general systems with decomposable bath-induced processes, the hierarchical approach in the form of a set of deterministic equations of motion is derived based on the stochastic formulation and provides an effective means for simulating the dissipative dynamics. A combination of the stochastic simulation and the hierarchical approach is suggested to solve the zero-temperature dynamics of the spin-boson model. This scheme correctly describes the coherent-incoherent transition (Toulouse limit) at moderate dissipation and predicts a rate dynamics in the overdamped regime. Challenging problems such as the dynamical description of quantum phase transition (local- ization) and the numerical stability of the trace-conserving, nonlinear stochastic Liouville equation are outlined.
We reveal several distinct regimes of the relaxation dynamics of a small quantum system coupled to an environment within the plane of the dissipation strength and the reservoir temperature. This is achieved by discriminating between coherent dynamics with damped oscillatory behavior on all time scales, partially coherent behavior being nonmonotonic at intermediate times but monotonic at large ones, and purely monotonic incoherent decay. Surprisingly, elevated temperature can render the system ``more coherent'' by inducing a transition from the partially coherent to the coherent regime. This provides a refined view on the relaxation dynamics of open quantum systems.
A quantum dissipation theory is constructed with the system–bath interaction being treated rigorously at the second-order cumulant level for both reduced dynamics and initial canonical boundary condition. The theory is valid for arbitrary bath correlation functions and time-dependent external driving fields, and satisfies correlated detailed-balance relation at any temperatures. The general formulation assumes a particularly simple form in driven Brownian oscillator systems in which the correlated driving-dissipation effects can be accounted for exactly in terms of local-field correction. Remarks on a class of widely used phenomenological quantum master equations that neglects the bath dispersion-induced dissipation are also made in contact with the present theory.