Return to thermal equilibrium by the solution of a quantum Langevin equation (Q1080564)

A quantum-mechanical treatment of the evolution of an anharmonic oscillator coupled to a heat bath is given. It is shown that for a certain class of anharmonic potentials the heat bath drives the oscillator to an equilibrium state, close to the quantum Gibbs state associated to the potential. Thus a partial proof is provided for a conjecture of \textit{R. Benguria} and \textit{M. Kac} [Quantum Langevin equation. Phys. Rev. Lett. 46, 1-4 (1981)].