Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 4660–4663 (1996)Dissipation and Decoherence in Mean Field TheoryReceived 29 September 1995; published in the issue dated 17 June 1996 The time evolution of a closed system of mean fields and fluctuations is Hamiltonian, with the canonical variables parametrizing the general time-dependent Gaussian density matrix of the system. Yet, the evolution manifests both quantum decoherence and apparent irreversibility of energy flow from the coherent mean fields to fluctuating quantum modes. Using scalar QED as an example, we show how this collisionless damping and decoherence may be understood as the result of dephasing of the rapidly varying fluctuations and particle production in the time varying mean field. © 1996 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.4660
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.4660
PACS:
03.65.Bz, 03.65.Sq, 03.70.+k, 05.70.Ln
|
|
About | Terms and Conditions | Subscriptions | Search | Help
Use of the American Physical Society websites and journals implies that the user has read and agrees to our Terms and Conditions and any applicable Subscription Agreement. Physical Review®, Physical Review Letters®, Reviews of Modern Physics®, and Physical Review Special Topics® are trademarks of the American Physical Society.