Positive commutators in non-equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics: Return to equilibrium (Q5953703)

The paper addresses a class of open quantum systems consisting of two interacting subsystems: A finite particle system coupled to a reservoir described by the spatially infinitely extended massless Bose field. The dynamics of the coupled system on the von Neumann algebra of observables is generated by a Liouville operator acting on a positive temperature Hilbert space; an asymptotic stability of the equilibrium state can be expressed in terms of the spectral characteristics of this operator. An alternative proof is given of the fundamental return to equilibrium property of a certain class of large quantum systems. The main result is the positive commutator (Mourre estimate for the Liouville) operator, spectral information of this operator, and hence the asymptotic stability property, can be extracted from the Mourre estimate through virial theorem argument, a number of previously utilized restrictions are relaxed.