Quantum dynamical semigroups and applications. (Based on Lectures given at the 20th Symposium on Theoretical Chemistry held 1984 in Emmetten, Switzerland) (Q1107073): Difference between revisions

The present volume of Lecture Notes in Physics represents itself the extended version of the invited lectures of the authors at the XXth Symposium of Theoretical Chemistry (1984, Emetten, Switzerland). The first contribution by R. Alicki is the self-contained and rigorous introduction to the theory of quantum Markovian master equations. It is partitioned into five Chapters, including Introduction. Chapter II, entitled Completely Positive Dynamical Semigroups, is devoted to the general properties of irreversible evolution of a quantum open system. A state of the quantum open system S is varied due to the internal dynamics of S and its interaction with a reservoir. R. The Hilbert space of the total system is the tensor product \(H_ S\otimes H_ R\) of the corresponding Hilbert spaces. We assume that at a time \(t=0\) the initial state of the total system as uncorrelated product state \(\rho \otimes \omega_ R\) is prepared. Here \(\rho\) is a varying initial state of S, and \(\omega_ R\) is a fixed reference state of R. The transformation, or dynamical map, describing a state change for the open system S, takes the form: \(\rho \mapsto \Lambda \rho \equiv Tr_ R(U\rho \otimes \omega_ RU^*)\), where \(U=\exp (-iH_{tot}t/\hslash)\). Thus, the dynamical maps of this type describe irreversible time evolutions of the open quantum system within the Schrödinger picture. There exists an equivalent characterization of a given dynamical map in terms of the so called complete positivity. In order to describe the time evolution of the open system, one can generalize the aforementioned definition of a dynamical map by introducing a one-parameter family of dynamical maps, \(\{\Lambda_ t,t\geq 0\}\), and form the quantum dynamical semigroup as a set of these dynamical maps with the appropriate properties inherent to a semigroup. As the main result of this is the general form of the Markovian master equation satisfying the complete positivity condition. The aim of Chapter III, `Hamiltonian Models and Markovian Approximation', is to derive the approximate Markovian master equation for the reduced dynamics of S using some limiting procedures. Three methods of deriving of Markovian master equations are presented. Chapter IV, `Extensions of the formalism', gives some examples of a possible generalization of the formalism presented. The first example is related with a case when the incomplete Hilbert space \(H_ S\) of the open system is physically relevant. In particular, this case is realized under a description of heavy-ion dissipative collisions including different channels of reaction. The next example is a time dependence of external conditions. Other examples are related with nonlinear equations commonly used in classical statistical mechanics, such as the Boltzmann, Vlasov, and Landau equations describing the dynamics of many-body systems in terms of the time-dependent probability phase-space distribution of a single particle. Chapter V gives the illustration of the general formalism by the example of N two-level atoms interacting with an electromagnetic field at a thermal equilibrium. Next Chapters of the R. Alicki's contribution is devoted to the presentation of special cases of quantum dynamical semigroups, the so called quasi-free completely positive semigroups. This class of semigroups covers all processes which can be formally described in terms of decomposition and production of noninteracting particles or quasiparticles, such as, for instance, the propagation of quantized electromagnetic waves in absorbing and radiating media in absence of nonlinear effects, the linear dissipation and pumping in open systems with a quadratic Hamiltonian, etc. In Chapter VII the author investigates the bosonic quasi-free dynamical semigroup of the linearly damped and pumped harmonic oscillator. Chapter VIII is devoted to analysis of some models of unstable particles. The second contribution by K. Lendi, entitled `N-Level Systems and Applications to Spectroscopy' is devoted to the spectroscopic applications of completely positive quantum dynamical semigroups of N- level systems. In Chapter II the author gives the general structure of quantum Markovian master equations of N-level systems, and discusses particularly, the problem of a positive semidefiniteness of a relaxation matrix and the structure of relaxing semigroups. The presentation of Chapter III is restricted by two-level systems for which the generalized magnetic and optical Block equations are studied. Some results of this Chapter are extended on three-level systems in Chapter IV. In Chapter V the author discusses two types of master equations, such as the equations for spontaneous emission and the Lamb-type equations. Chapter VI is devoted to the analysis of open quantum systems with non-constant relaxation in time-dependent external fields. Further, the author discusses the problem of determining relaxation parameters from first principles in Chapter VII, and the problem of entropy production and a measure of irreversibility in Chapter VIII.