Master equation in phase space for a spin in an arbitrarily directed uniform external field (Q607758): Difference between revisions

Phase space methods map quantum mechanical evolution equations for the (reduced) density matrix for spins into a c-number space. This offers some advantages over other methods (reduced density matrix equation, stochastic Liouville equation, Langevin equation) in studying the quantum/classical divide. Nevertheless, phase space methods for spins, although studied in quantum optics, have been not sufficiently explored in other spin systems. In this paper, the authors derive the time evolution equation for the probability density function of spin orientation in the phase space representation of the polar and azimuthal angles for the nonaxially symmetric problem of a quantum paramagnet subjected to a uniform magnetic field of arbitrary direction. They do so in the weak-coupling limit and in the Markovian approximation for the stochastic processes. The problem has considerable difficulties, because non-diagonal elements in the kernel matrix representing the interaction between the spin and bath partake in the time evolution. The problem is treated by first rotating the coordinate system into one in which the polar axis is collinear with the magnetic field vector, then writing the reduced density matrix equation in the new coordinate system as an explicit inverse Wigner-Stratonovich transformation. This allows one to derive the phase space master equation just as in the axially symmetric case [\textit{Yu. P. Kalmykov} et al., J. Stat. Phys. 131, No. 5, 969--987 (2008; Zbl 1214.82079)]. This equation resembles the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation, and its properties are studied in the paper. In particular, in the large spin limit, this master equation becomes the classical Fokker-Planck equation describing the magnetization dynamics of a classical paramagnet in an arbitrarily directed uniform external field. The formalism could be applied to study the transition from an elementary spin to molecular magnets to nanoclusters to classical superparamagnetic particles, a range of situations which comprise interesting technological applications of magnetic relaxation.