Decoherence
of Quantum States| Decoherence
of Quantum States |
In General > s.a. interpretations
of quantum mechanics; models of decoherence; quantum
chaos;
vacuum.
* Idea: The evolution of a pure state into an effectively mixed one
due to system-bath interaction; An important concept in the emergence of classical
behavior from quantum states for macroscopic systems; Decoherence destroys
quantum correlations and interference in Wigner distributions and
washes out
fine structure in classical distributions, bringing the two distributions
and the expectation values closer together.
* Decoherence function:
The function d(
,
)
measures the quantum interference between history propositions and
.
* Decoherence time scale: 
d
is the time over which quantum coherence of the system is lost.
* Proposal (Kay): Based
on a unitary framework for quantum gravity, assumes that the operators tied
to the gravitational degrees of freedom are unobservable and
equates
physical entropy with matter-gravity entanglement entropy.
Related Topics > s.a. arrow
of time; experiments
in quantum mechanics; probability; quantum
effects [quantum jumps].
* Origin of decoherence:
It is often attributed to the system-environment entanglement, which is not
the only source of decoherence.
* And classicality: Weinstein
suggests that decoherence is best regarded as explaining the persistence
of true classicality, rather than the emergence of quasiclassicality.
* Quantum darwinism:
The redundant recording of information about a decohering system by its environment.
@ Decoherence-free subspace: Mundarain & Orszag qp/06 [two-level
system in squeezed bath]; Brooke et al PRA(08)-a0806 [N qubits]; > s.a. stochastic processes [Markov].
@ Quantum darwinism: Blume-Kohout & Zurek PRL(08)-a0704 [in
brownian motion].
@ And pilot-wave interpretation: Sanz & Borondo EPJD(07)qp/03 [decoherence
does not imply classical limit].
@ And measurement: Namiki et al 98; Schlosshauer RMP(04);
d'Espagnat FP(05)
[and Wigner's friend]; > s.a. types of measurements.
@ Self-induced: Castagnino & Lombardi IJTP(03)qp/02 [in
cosmology], SHPMP(04)
[general]; Schlosshauer PRA(05)qp [spin
bath model]; Castagnino & Lombardi PRA(05)qp [time],
PhSc(05)dec
[and classical limit]; Castagnino qp/05 [non-integrable
systems].
@ And classicality: Weinstein a0807 [emergence
of classicality is not generic]; Romanelli PRA(09)-a0905 [without
classicality, resonant quantum
kicked rotor]; Kofler et al a0906 [no
continuous spatiotemporal description]; Weinstein a0906 [decoherence
as persistence
of classicality].
@ And Lorentz invariance: Milburn PRA(91), gq/03, NJP(06);
Bertlmann qp/04-in
[particle physics]; Cai et al PRA(07)
[suppressed dephasing].
@ Time scale: Terra Cunha et al qp/04;
Dalton JMO(05)qp/04 [macroscopic
systems]; Roa et al PLA(07)
[stability]; > s.a. wave-function
collapse.
@ Thermodynamic limit: Lugiewicz & Olkiewicz JPA(02)
[spin system]; Frasca PLA(03)qp/02;
Frasca in(05)cm/04
[fully polarized states].
@ Types / sources of decoherence: Anastopoulos & Hu CQG(08)-a0803 [intrinsic/fundamental
decoherence]; Çetinbas JPA(09) [coherent quantum fluctuations].
@ Other topics: Schulman PRA(98)qp/97 [interaction
with walls, and error]; Halliwell PRD(99)qp [fate
of information]; Omnès qp/01 [as
irreversible process]; Camacho IJMPD(01)gq [equivalence
principle
violations]; Frasca PLA(01), PLA(03)
[in thermodynamic limit]; Mohrhoff qp/01 [meaning];
Berman et al PRA(04)qp [survival
of quantum
properties]; Schützhold & Tiersch qp/04 [and
Casimir effect]; Alicki OSID(04)-a0801 [pure
decoherence without dissipation], qp/05-in
[decoherence
control]; Halliwell PRA(05)
[commuting X and P, emergent classicality]; Castagnino et al
a0907 [effect of
random coupling coefficients].
References > s.a. entanglement; histories-based
quantum mechanics.
@ Reviews: Zurek PT(91)qp/03,
& Paz NCB(95); Zeh qp/95-in;
Giulini et al 96; Zurek PTRS(98)qp;
Joos
qp/99-in
[environmental]; Anastopoulos IJTP(02)qp/00;
Zurek RMP(03)qp/01;
Joos et al 03; O'Connell qp/05-in;
Halliwell CP(05)qp;
Zeh in(06)qp/05;
Schlosshauer 07 [r PT(08)sep].
@ Pedagogical: Haroche PT(98)jul;
Bhattacharya et al LAS(02)qp/04;
Finkelstein qp/05 [energy
decoherence]; Hornberger LNP(08)qp/06-ln;
Gamble & Lindner AJP(09).
@ General theory: Joos & Zeh ZPB(85),
Joos in(86) [environmental]; Omnès PRA(97);
Wright CMP(98)
[decoherence functionals]; Vecchi qp/00 [assumptions];
Fiete & Heller PRA(03)qp/02 [semiclassical];
Blanchard et al PLA(03)
[various effects]; Na & Wyatt PS(03)
[hydrodynamic formulation]; Znidaric & Prosen JOB(05)qp [t-dependence];
Castagnino & Laura qp/05,
et al qp/06 [formalism
for open and closed systems]; Merkli et al PRL(07);
Gamble a0805-th;
Castagnino et al PhSc(07)dec,
a0907 [general
framework]; Gorin et al NJP(08)-a0807 [random-matrix
theory].
@ Related topics: Morikawa PRD(90);
Finkelstein PRD(93)gq;
Twamley PRD(93)gq;
Zurek & Paz
PRL(94)gq;
Unruh & Wald PRD(95)ht [causality
or energy-momentum conservation]; Gell-Mann & Hartle in(98)gq/95;
Anglin et al PRA(97)qp/96;
Dugic PS(96);
Kiefer & Joos qp/98-in;
Paz & Zurek
qp/00-ln;
Scherer & Soklakov qp/04 [long
histories].
@ Conceptual: Zeh qp/96, qp/99-in;
Stamp SHPMP(06).
@
Phase space picture: Kiefer qp/97,
Diósi qp/02-in,
Ozorio de Almeida JPA(03)
[Wigner
functions]; Grewal PRA(02)
[and coherent states].
Decoherence is like capitalism. Its proponents regard it as obvious, given human nature, and its success seems overwhelming. Competitors largely belong to the past, or get the impression they do. Consequently, although serious analysis finds deep flaws in it, the promise of huge benefits continues to attract new adherents with the naivety of those who enroll in a pyramid scheme. – N P Landsman SHPMP(09)
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oct 2009