4,928 research outputs found
N-particle sector of quantum field theory as a quantum open system
We give an exposition of a technique, based on the Zwanzig projection
formalism, to construct the evolution equation for the reduced density matrix
corresponding to the n-particle sector of a field theory. We consider the case
of a scalar field with a interaction as an example and construct the
master equation at the lowest non-zero order in perturbation theory.Comment: 12 pages, Late
Non-Equilibrium Quantum Electrodynamics
We employ the influence functional technique to trace out the photonic
contribution from full quantum electrodynamics. The reduced density matrix
propagator for the spinor field is then constructed. We discuss the role of
time-dependent renormalization in the propagator and focus on the possibility
of obtaining dynamically induced superselection rules. Finally, we derive the
master equation for the case of the field being in an one-particle state in a
non-relativistic regime and discuss whether EM vacuumm fluctuations are
sufficient to produce decoherence in the position basis.Comment: 28 pages, 2 figures. Substantially revised, one important mistake
corrected; discussion on decoherence upgraded, section 4 essentially
rewritte
Quantum Fields in Nonstatic background: A Histories Perspective
For a quantum field living on a non - static spacetime no instantaneous
Hamiltonian is definable, for this generically necessitates a choice of
inequivalent representation of the canonical commutation relations at each
instant of time. This fact suggests a description in terms of time - dependent
Hilbert spaces, a concept that fits naturally in a (consistent) histories
framework. Our primary tool for the construction of the quantum theory in a
continuous -time histories format is the recently developed formalism based on
the notion of the history group . This we employ to study a model system
involving a 1+1 scalar field in a cavity with moving boundaries.
The instantaneous (smeared) Hamiltonian and a decoherence functional are then
rigorously defined so that finite values for the time - averaged particle
creation rate are obtainable through the study of energy histories. We also
construct the Schwinger - Keldysh closed- time - path generating functional as
a ``Fourier transform'' of the decoherence functional and evaluate the
corresponding n - point functions.Comment: 27 pages, LATEX; minor changes and corrections; version to appear in
JM
Moving Atom-Field Interactions: Quantum Motional Decoherence and Relaxation
The reduced dynamics of an atomic qubit coupled both to its own quantized
center of mass motion through the spatial mode functions of the electromagnetic
field, as well as the vacuum modes, is calculated in the influence functional
formalism. The formalism chosen can describe the entangled non-Markovian
evolution of the system with a full account of the coherent back-action of the
environment on the qubit. We find a slight increase in the decoherence due to
the quantized center of mass motion and give a condition on the mass and qubit
resonant frequency for which the effect is important. In optically resonant
alkali-metal atom systems, we find the effect to be negligibly small. The
framework presented here can nevertheless be used for general considerations of
the coherent evolution of qubits in moving atoms in an electromagnetic field.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, minor change
Classical Vs Quantum Probability in Sequential Measurements
We demonstrate in this paper that the probabilities for sequential
measurements have features very different from those of single-time
measurements. First, they cannot be modelled by a classical stochastic process.
Second, they are contextual, namely they depend strongly on the specific
measurement scheme through which they are determined. We construct
Positive-Operator-Valued measures (POVM) that provide such probabilities. For
observables with continuous spectrum, the constructed POVMs depend strongly on
the resolution of the measurement device, a conclusion that persists even if we
consider a quantum mechanical measurement device or the presence of an
environment. We then examine the same issues in alternative interpretations of
quantum theory. We first show that multi-time probabilities cannot be naturally
defined in terms of a frequency operator. We next prove that local hidden
variable theories cannot reproduce the predictions of quantum theory for
sequential measurements, even when the degrees of freedom of the measuring
apparatus are taken into account. Bohmian mechanics, however, does not fall in
this category. We finally examine an alternative proposal that sequential
measurements can be modelled by a process that does not satisfy the Kolmogorov
axioms of probability. This removes contextuality without introducing
non-locality, but implies that the empirical probabilities cannot be always
defined (the event frequencies do not converge). We argue that the predictions
of this hypothesis are not ruled out by existing experimental results
(examining in particular the "which way" experiments); they are, however,
distinguishable in principle.Comment: 56 pages, latex; revised and restructured. Version to appear in
Found. Phy
Coarse Grainings and Irreversibility in Quantum Field Theory
In this paper we are interested in the studying coarse-graining in field
theories using the language of quantum open systems. Motivated by the ideas of
Calzetta and Hu on correlation histories we employ the Zwanzig projection
technique to obtain evolution equations for relevant observables in
self-interacting scalar field theories. Our coarse-graining operation consists
in concentrating solely on the evolution of the correlation functions of degree
less than , a treatment which corresponds to the familiar from statistical
mechanics truncation of the BBKGY hierarchy at the n-th level. We derive the
equations governing the evolution of mean field and two-point functions thus
identifying the terms corresponding to dissipation and noise. We discuss
possible applications of our formalism, the emergence of classical behaviour
and the connection to the decoherent histories framework.Comment: 25 pages, Late
Consistent Histories in Quantum Cosmology
We illustrate the crucial role played by decoherence (consistency of quantum
histories) in extracting consistent quantum probabilities for alternative
histories in quantum cosmology. Specifically, within a Wheeler-DeWitt
quantization of a flat Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological model sourced
with a free massless scalar field, we calculate the probability that the
univese is singular in the sense that it assumes zero volume. Classical
solutions of this model are a disjoint set of expanding and contracting
singular branches. A naive assessment of the behavior of quantum states which
are superpositions of expanding and contracting universes may suggest that a
"quantum bounce" is possible i.e. that the wave function of the universe may
remain peaked on a non-singular classical solution throughout its history.
However, a more careful consistent histories analysis shows that for arbitrary
states in the physical Hilbert space the probability of this Wheeler-DeWitt
quantum universe encountering the big bang/crunch singularity is equal to
unity. A quantum Wheeler-DeWitt universe is inevitably singular, and a "quantum
bounce" is thus not possible in these models.Comment: To appear in Foundations of Physics special issue on quantum
foundation
Master-equations for the study of decoherence
Different structures of master-equation used for the description of
decoherence of a microsystem interacting through collisions with a surrounding
environment are considered and compared. These results are connected to the
general expression of the generator of a quantum dynamical semigroup in
presence of translation invariance recently found by Holevo.Comment: 10 pages, latex, no figures, to appear in Int. J. Theor. Phy
Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Patterns of behavioral adjustment, academic functioning, and treatment utilization.
Adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were compared with a control group on a comprehensive assessment battery. More ADHD teenagers had oppositional defiant disorder (68%) and conduct disorder (39%) and were rated as more impaired in social competence, behavioral and emotional adjustment, and school performance by parents and teachers than control teens. The ADHD youths, however, rated themselves as better adjusted than did their parents and teachers, differing only from controls in depressive symptoms and antisocial acts. Poorer performances in verbal learning and vigilance and greater ADHD behaviors during a math task also distinguished the ADHD from control teenagers. .1. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 1991, 30, 5:752-761
Decoherence in Quantum Gravity: Issues and Critiques
An increasing number of papers have appeared in recent years on decoherence
in quantum gravity at the Planck energy. We discuss the meaning of decoherence
in quantum gravity starting from the common notion that quantum gravity is a
theory for the microscopic structures of spacetime, and invoking some generic
features of quantum decoherence from the open systems viewpoint. We dwell on a
range of issues bearing on this process including the relation between
statistical and quantum, noise from effective field theory, the meaning of
stochasticity, the origin of non-unitarity and the nature of nonlocality in
this and related contexts. To expound these issues we critique on two
representative theories: One claims that decoherence in quantum gravity scale
leads to the violation of CPT symmetry at sub-Planckian energy which is used to
explain today's particle phenomenology. The other uses this process in place
with the Brownian motion model to prove that spacetime foam behaves like a
thermal bath.Comment: 25 pages, proceedings of DICE06 (Piombino
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