Related papers: Coherence and the Clock
We have recently argued that if one introduces a relational time in quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, the resulting quantum theory is such that pure states evolve into mixed states. The rate at which states decohere depends on the…
We study the real-time evolution of a self-interacting O(N) scalar field initially prepared in a pure quantum state. We present a complete solution of the nonequilibrium quantum dynamics from a 1/N-expansion of the two-particle-irreducible…
Within the density matrix formalism, it is shown that a simple way to get decoherence is through the introduction of a "quantum" of time (chronon): which implies replacing the differential Liouville--von Neumann equation with a…
During the past decade, the experimental development of being able to create ever larger and heavier quantum superpositions has brought the discussion of the connection between microscopic quantum mechanics and macroscopic classical physics…
Motivated by the recent efforts to describe the gravitational interaction as a classical channel arising from continuous quantum measurements, we study what types of dynamics can emerge from a collisional model of repeated interactions…
Decoherence induced by coupling a system with an environment may display universal features. Here we demostrate that when the coupling to the system drives a quantum phase transition in the environment, the temporal decay of quantum…
We show that the stationary decoherence rate of an open quantum system can be decomposed as a sum of local and nonlocal contributions, respectively related to the strength of the coupling between system and environment, and to the quality…
The possible imprint of quantum decoherence, in the framework of cosmology, is here investigated. Particular attention is paid to the observational fact that entanglement could lead to the interaction of different eras of cosmic evolution.…
We discuss the various manifestations of quantum decoherence in the forms of dephasing, entanglement with the environment, and revelation of "which-path" information. As a specific example, we consider an electron interference experiment.…
The decoherence of quantum states defines the transition between the quantum world and classical physics. Decoherence or, analogously, quantum mechanical collapse events pose fundamental questions regarding the interpretation of quantum…
Control at the interface between the classical and the quantum world is fundamental in quantum physics. In particular, how classical control is enhanced by coherence effects is an important question both from a theoretical as well as from a…
A general semiclassical approach to quantum systems with system-bath interactions is developed. We study system decoherence in detail using a coherent state semiclassical wavepacket method which avoids singularity issues arising in the…
It is explained how the unification of resonance and decay phenomena into a consistent mathematical theory leads to quantum mechanical time-asymmetry. This provides the theoretical basis for a subsequent paper II in which the interpretation…
The destruction of quantum coherence by environmental influences is investigated taking the damped harmonic oscillator and the dissipative two-state system as prototypical examples. It is shown that the location of the coherent-incoherent…
I study the scaling behavior in the physical parameters of dynamical entropies, classical and quantum, in a specifically devised model of collision-induced decoherence in a chaotic system. The treatment is fully canonical and no…
We study decoherence induced by a dynamic environment undergoing a quantum phase transition. Environment's susceptibility to perturbations - and, consequently, efficiency of decoherence - is amplified near a critical point. Over and above…
Time has been an elusive concept to grasp. Although we do not yet understand it properly, there has been advances made in regards to how we can explain it. One such advance is the Page-Wootters mechanism. In this mechanism time is seen as…
We study the decoherence process for an open quantum system which is classically chaotic (a quartic double well with harmonic driving coupled to a sea of harmonic oscillators). We analyze the time dependence of the rate of entropy…
This work proposes a series of quantum experiments that can, at least in principle, allow for examining microscopic mechanisms associated with decoherence. These experiments can be interpreted as a quantum-mechanical version of…
A most simple theoretical argument is given in order to explain the quantitative estimate of the effect of collisional decoherence in matter-wave interferometry. The argument highlights the relevance of quantum and classical features in the…