The Meaning of Decoherence
Quantum Physics
2007-05-23 v2 Condensed Matter
Mathematical Physics
math.MP
Atomic Physics
Chemical Physics
Abstract
The conceptual and dynamical aspects of decoherence are analyzed, while their consequences are discussed for several fundamental applications. This mechanism, which is based on a universal Schr\"odinger equation, is furthermore compared with the phenomenological description of open systems in terms of `quantum dynamical maps'.
Cite
@article{arxiv.quant-ph/9905004,
title = {The Meaning of Decoherence},
author = {H. D. Zeh},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:quant-ph/9905004},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
25 pages, Latex, needs Springer macro cl2emult. Version to be published. An error in the comments regarding the relation between Bloch vectors and Wigner functions has been eliminated (see Footnote 3)