Alternative derivation of the Hu-Paz-Zhang master equation of quantum Brownian motion

J. J. Halliwell, T. Yu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

138 Scopus citations

Abstract

Hu, Paz, and Zhang [B. L. Hu, J. P. Paz, and Y. Zhang, Phys. Rev. D 45, 2843 (1992)] have derived an exact master equation for quantum Brownian motion in a general environment via path integral techniques. Their master equation provides a very useful tool to study the decoherence of a quantum system due to the interaction with its environment. In this paper, we give an alternative and elementary derivation of the Hu-Paz-Zhang master equation, which involves tracing the evolution equation for the Wigner function. We also discuss the master equation in some special cases.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2012-2019
Number of pages8
JournalPhysical Review D - Particles, Fields, Gravitation and Cosmology
Volume53
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1996

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Alternative derivation of the Hu-Paz-Zhang master equation of quantum Brownian motion'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this