2003/09/30 by Daniel Alonso, S. Brouard, Jose P. Palao +2
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Action (physics) #Computer science #Connection (principal bundle) #Geometry #Mathematical physics #Mathematics #Open quantum system #Operator (biology) #Phase space #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum chaos and dynamical systems #Quantum decoherence #Quantum dissipation #Quantum mechanics #Quantum operation #Quantum system #Space (punctuation) #Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies #Statistical physics #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.69.052111
12 pages, 3 figures
arxiv created 2004/03/02 · openalex publication_date 2004/05/18 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
A characteristic action \ensuremathΔS is defined whose magnitude determines some properties of the expectation value of a general quantum displacement operator. These properties are related to the capability of a given environmental ``monitoring'' system to induce decoherence in quantum systems coupled to it. We show that the scale for effective decoherence is given by \ensuremathΔS\ensuremath≈\ensuremathℏ. We relate this characteristic action with a complementary quantity, \ensuremathΔZ, and analyze their connection with the main features of the pattern of structures developed by the environmental state in different phase space representations. The relevance of the \ensuremathΔS-action scale is illustrated using both a model quantum system solved numerically and a set of model quantum systems for which analytical expressions for the time-averaged expectation value of the displacement operator are obtained explicitly.