Kinetic energy of a free quantum Brownian particle

We consider a paradigmatic model of a quantum Brownian particle coupled to a thermostat consisting of harmonic oscillators. In the framework of a generalized Langevin equation, the memory (damping) kernel is assumed to be in the form of exponentially-decaying oscillations. We discuss a quantum counterpart of the equipartition energy theorem for a free Brownian particle in a thermal equilibrium state. We conclude that the average kinetic energy of the Brownian particle is equal to thermally-averaged kinetic energy per one degree of freedom of oscillators of the environment, additionally averaged over all possible oscillators’ frequencies distributed according to some probability density in which details of the particle-environment interaction are present via the parameters of the damping kernel

Noise perturbations in the Brownian motion and quantum dynamics

The third Newton law for mean velocity fields is utilised to generate anomalous (enhanced) or non-dispersive diffusion-type processes which, in particular, can be interpreted as a probabilistic counterpart of the Schr\"{o}dinger picture quantum dynamics.Comment: Phys. Lett. A, (1999), in pres

Quantum features derived from the classical model of a bouncer-walker coupled to a zero-point field

In our bouncer-walker model a quantum is a nonequilibrium steady-state maintained by a permanent throughput of energy. Specifically, we consider a "particle" as a bouncer whose oscillations are phase-locked with those of the energy-momentum reservoir of the zero-point field (ZPF), and we combine this with the random-walk model of the walker, again driven by the ZPF. Starting with this classical toy model of the bouncer-walker we were able to derive fundamental elements of quantum theory. Here this toy model is revisited with special emphasis on the mechanism of emergence. Especially the derivation of the total energy hbar.omega and the coupling to the ZPF are clarified. For this we make use of a sub-quantum equipartition theorem. It can further be shown that the couplings of both bouncer and walker to the ZPF are identical. Then we follow this path in accordance with previous work, expanding the view from the particle in its rest frame to a particle in motion. The basic features of ballistic diffusion are derived, especially the diffusion constant D, thus providing a missing link between the different approaches of our previous works.Comment: 14 pages, based on a talk given at "Emergent Quantum Mechanics (Heinz von Foerster Conference 2011)", see http://www.univie.ac.at/hvf11/congress/EmerQuM.htm

A classical explanation of quantization

In the context of our recently developed emergent quantum mechanics, and, in particular, based on an assumed sub-quantum thermodynamics, the necessity of energy quantization as originally postulated by Max Planck is explained by means of purely classical physics. Moreover, under the same premises, also the energy spectrum of the quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator is derived. Essentially, Planck's constant h is shown to be indicative of a particle's "zitterbewegung" and thus of a fundamental angular momentum. The latter is identified with quantum mechanical spin, a residue of which is thus present even in the non-relativistic Schroedinger theory.Comment: 20 pages; version accepted for publication in Foundations of Physic

Vacuum fluctuations of a scalar field near a reflecting boundary and their effects on the motion of a test particle

The contribution from quantum vacuum fluctuations of a real massless scalar field to the motion of a test particle that interacts with the field in the presence of a perfectly reflecting flat boundary is here investigated. There is no quantum induced dispersions on the motion of the particle when it is alone in the empty space. However, when a reflecting wall is introduced, dispersions occur with magnitude dependent on how fast the system evolves between the two scenarios. A possible way of implementing this process would be by means of an idealized sudden switching, for which the transition occurs instantaneously. Although the sudden process is a simple and mathematically convenient idealization it brings some divergences to the results, particularly at a time corresponding to a round trip of a light signal between the particle and the wall. It is shown that the use of smooth switching functions, besides regularizing such divergences, enables us to better understand the behavior of the quantum dispersions induced on the motion of the particle. Furthermore, the action of modifying the vacuum state of the system leads to a change in the particle energy that depends on how fast the transition between these states is implemented. Possible implications of these results to the similar case of an electric charge near a perfectly conducting wall are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

Quantum optical versus quantum Brownian motion master-equation in terms of covariance and equilibrium properties

Structures of quantum Fokker-Planck equations are characterized with respect to the properties of complete positivity, covariance under symmetry transformations and satisfaction of equipartition, referring to recent mathematical work on structures of unbounded generators of covariant quantum dynamical semigroups. In particular the quantum optical master-equation and the quantum Brownian motion master-equation are shown to be associated to $\mathrm{U(1)}$ and $\mathrm{R}$ symmetry respectively. Considering the motion of a Brownian particle, where the expression of the quantum Fokker-Planck equation is not completely fixed by the aforementioned requirements, a recently introduced microphysical kinetic model is briefly recalled, where a quantum generalization of the linear Boltzmann equation in the small energy and momentum transfer limit straightforwardly leads to quantum Brownian motion.Comment: 11 pages, latex, no figures, slight changes and a few references added, to appear in J. Math. Phy

Nonlinear theory of quantum Brownian motion

A nonlinear theory of quantum Brownian motion in classical environment is developed based on a thermodynamically enhanced nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The latter is transformed via the Madelung transformation into a nonlinear quantum Smoluchowski-like equation, which is proven to reproduce key results from quantum and classical physics. The application of the theory to a free quantum Brownian particle results in a nonlinear dependence of the position dispersion on time, being quantum generalization of the Einstein law of Brownian motion. It is shown that the time of decoherence for the transition from quantum to classical diffusion is proportional to the square of the thermal de Broglie wavelength divided by the Einstein diffusion constant