Fermi's golden rule and exponential decay as a RG fixed point

DOI10.1007/S10955-009-9700-XzbMATH Open1166.82008arXiv0805.0502OpenAlexW2034067768MaRDI QIDQ1024233FDOQ1024233

Edwin Langmann, Goeran Lindblad

Publication date: 16 June 2009

Published in: Journal of Statistical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: We discuss the decay of unstable states into a quasicontinuum using models of the effective Hamiltonian type. The goal is to show that exponential decay and the golden rule are exact in a suitable scaling limit, and that there is an associated renormalization group (RG) with these properties as a fixed point. The method is inspired by a limit theorem for infinitely divisible distributions in probability theory, where there is a RG with a Cauchy distribution, i.e. a Lorentz line shape, as a fixed point. Our method of solving for the spectrum is well known; it does not involve a perturbation expansion in the interaction, and needs no assumption of a weak interaction. We use random matrices for the interaction, and show that the ensemble fluctuations vanish in the scaling limit. Thus the limit is the same for every model in the ensemble with probability one.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/0805.0502

zbMATH Keywords

random matrixrenormalization groupFermi's golden ruleunstable statesFeshbach methodLorentz line shape

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Selfadjoint operator theory in quantum theory, including spectral analysis (81Q10) Renormalization group methods in equilibrium statistical mechanics (82B28)

Cites Work

• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Title not available (Why is that?)
• Unified theory of nuclear reactions
• Manifestations of the Schur complement
• A unified theory of nuclear reactions. II
• Quantum-mechanical perturbations giving rise to a statistical transport equation
• Fermi Golden Rule and Open Quantum Systems
• Renormalization group and probability theory
• Markovian master equations. II
• Effects of Configuration Interaction on Intensities and Phase Shifts
• Studies in Perturbation Theory. IV. Solution of Eigenvalue Problem by Projection Operator Formalism
• The approach to equilibrium in quantum statistics
• The Fermi golden rule and its form at thresholds in odd dimensions

Cited In (4)

• Göran Lindblad in Memoriam
• The structures of state space concerning quantum dynamical semigroups
• Finite-size corrections to Fermi's golden rule: I. Decay rates
• On the generalized golden rule for transition probabilities

This page was built for publication: Fermi's golden rule and exponential decay as a RG fixed point

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q1024233)