Quantum friction with a stochastic force

Robert Alicki, Joachim A. Messer · Journal of Physics A Mathematical and General · 1982

The Hamiltonian quantum theory of the damped harmonic oscillator is investigated by using an explicitly time-dependent Hamiltonian including a commutative stochastic force. The propagator is computed and shown to describe an inhomogeneous quantum dynamical semigroup evolution on the Banach cone of density matrices. The moments tend to the thermal equilibrium values independently of the initial conditions, when time tends to infinity and some rescaling procedure is performed. With respect to the rescaling neither the Heisenberg nor the Schrodinger picture exists. Furthermore the energy dissipates below the zero-point energy in violation of the Heisenberg uncertainty relation.

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