Quantum Brownian motion in a simple model system

DOI10.1007/S00220-009-0924-ZMaRDI QIDQ625433zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors W. De Roeck, Jürg Fröhlich, A. Pizzo

Publication date 17 February 2011

Published in Communications in Mathematical Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/0810.4537, http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/412100

algebra in quantum theory Boltzmann equation diffusion quantum Brownian motion

Diffusion processes (60J60) Brownian motion (60J65) Operator algebra methods applied to problems in quantum theory (81R15) Commutation relations and statistics as related to quantum mechanics (general) (81S05) Quantum dynamics and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics (general) (82C10)

Abstract: We consider a quantum particle coupled (with strength

l a

) to a spatial array of independent non-interacting reservoirs in thermal states (heat baths). Under the assumption that the reservoir correlations decay exponentially in time, we prove that the long-time behavior of the particle is diffusive for small, but finite

l a

. Our proof relies on an expansion around the kinetic scaling limit (

l a s e a r r o w 0

, while time and space scale as

l a^{- 2}

) in which the particle satisfies a Boltzmann equation. We also show an equipartition theorem: the distribution of the kinetic energy of the particle tends to a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, up to a correction of

O (l a^{2})

.

Review text

In this article the authors investigate quantum particles coupled to a spatial array of independent non-interacting reservoirs in thermal states. Basing on the assumption that the correlations decay exponentially, they are able to prove that the motion of the particle is diffusive at large times for small but finite strength \(\lambda\). The paper consists of six sections. The first one gives an extended introduction that presents the importance of diffusion and Brownian motion as the most fundamental phenomena described by transport theory. Before the informal description of the model and main results are given, the authors announce that they will introduce a diffusion for models where the particle is coupled to a spatial array. They also relate their results to the polaron model. Section 2 gives a detailed description of the model, starting with assumed conventions and notation related to the particles, reservoirs, interactions and initial states and the dynamics. Next, in Section 3, we have the main results of the investigations with two theorems that are discussed in detail in Section 4, where the reader can find: invariance translation, the problem of return to the equilibrium inside the fibers, the kinetic limit with convergence to the linear Boltzmann equation and diffusive behavior of solutions, and also the perturbation around this limit. The five theorems of Section 4 are proved in Sections 4--6. The paper is quite hard to read; however, it presents important results based on a mathematical approach that is necessary and consistent. Remark: There are several places where one can find typos in the theorems, equations and their transformations, but they do not affect the results of the article.

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