Justification of the “symmetric damping” model of the dynamical Casimir effect in a cavity with a semiconductor mirror*

A “microscopic” justification of the “symmetric damping” model of a quantum oscillator with time-dependent frequency and time-dependent damping is given. This model is used to predict the results of experiments on simulating the dynamical Casimir effect in a cavity with a photo-excited semiconductor mirror. It is shown that the most general bilinear time-dependent coupling of a selected oscillator (field mode) to a bath of harmonic oscillators results in two equal friction coefficients for the both quadratures, provided all the coupling coefficients are proportional to a single arbitrary function of time whose duration is much shorter than the periods of all oscillators. The choice of coupling in the rotating wave approximation form leads to the “minimum noise” model of the quantum damped oscillator, introduced earlier in a pure phenomenological way.     

Does the Third Law of Thermodynamics Hold in the Quantum Regime?

The first in a long series of papers by John T. Lewis, in collaboration with G. W. Ford and the present author, considered the problem of the most general coupling of a quantum particle to a linear passive heat bath, in the course of which they derived an exact formula for the free energy of an oscillator coupled to a heat bath in thermal equilibrium at temperature $T$. This formula, and its later extension to three dimensions to incorporate a magnetic field, has proved to be invaluable in analyzing problems in quantum thermodynamics. Here, we address the question raised in our title viz. Nernst’s third law of thermodynamics. PACS numbers: 05.30.-d, 05.40.-a, 05.70.-a.The author dedicates this paper to the memory of John T. Lewis, a collaborator over two decades and a wonderful friend. He is sorely missed.     

Quantum Brownian motion and the second law of thermodynamics

We consider a single harmonic oscillator coupled to a bath at zero temperature. As is well-known, the oscillator then has a higher average energy than that given by its ground state. Here we show analytically that for a damping model with arbitrarily discrete distribution of bath modes and damping models with continuous distributions of bath modes with cut-off frequencies, this excess energy is less than the work needed to couple the system to the bath, therefore, the quantum second law is not violated. On the other hand, the second law may be violated for bath modes without cut-off frequencies, which are, however, physically unrealistic models. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Once upon a time,in the Soviet Union …

Radiation reaction (but, more generally, fluctuations and dissipation) occurs when a system interacts with a heat bath, a particular case being the interaction of an electron with the radiation field. We have developed a general theory for the case of a quantum particle in a general potential (but, in more detail, an oscillator potential) coupled to an arbitrary heat bath at arbitrary temperature, and in an external time-dependent c-number field. The results may be applied to a large variety of problems in physics but we concentrate by showing in detail the application to the blackbody radiation heat bath, giving an exact result for the radiation reaction problem which has no unsatisfactory features such as the runaway solutions associated with the Abraham–Lorentz theory. In addition, we show how atomic energy and free energy shifts due to temperature may be calculated. Finally, we give a brief review of applications to Josephson junctions, quantum statistical mechanics, mesoscopic physics, quantum information, noise in gravitational wave detectors, Unruh radiation and the violation of the quantum regression theorem.     

Quantum tunneling at low temperatures: Results for weak damping

We investigate the rate at which a particle decays out of a metastable potential well by quantum tunneling. We calculate the leading corrections to the exponent and the prefactor of the rate, due to coupling to the heat bath and finite temperatures. Since the results are essentially equivalent to those employing the transition state assumption, namely maintaining thermal equilibrium, we argue for the lower on the damping strength above which these results should be valid. These results are in good accord with recently reported experiments.     

Penetration depth anisotropy in d-density wave scenario

We discuss thermalization of a test particle schematized as a harmonic oscillator and coupled to a Boltzmann heat bath of finite size and with a finite bandwidth for the frequencies of its particles. We find that complete thermalization only occurs when the test particle frequency is within a certain range of the bath particle frequencies, and for a certain range of mass ratios between the test particle and the bath particles. These results have implications for the study of classical and quantum behaviour of high-frequency nanomechanical resonators.     

强耦合光机械腔中的简正模式分裂和冷却

研究由辐射压力与驱动Fabry-Perot光学腔相耦合而产生的腔光机械动力学行为. 通过量子朗之万方程具体研究了机械振子的涨落光谱、机械阻尼与共振频移和基态冷却. 随着输入激光功率的增加,振子的涨落光谱呈现简正模式分裂的现象,并且数值模拟结果和实验结果相符合. 同时推导了有效机械阻尼和共振频移. 红移边带导致了机械模的冷却,蓝移边带引起了机械模的放大. 此外,引入一种近似机制来研究振子的基态冷却,并且考虑在解析边带机制下简正模式分裂对机械振子冷却的影响. 最后,数值讨论了初始浴温度、输入激光功率和机械品质因数这三个因素对机械振子冷却的影响. 关键词： 腔光机械 辐射压力 简正模式分裂 冷却     

囚禁单离子的量子阻尼运动

用包含偶极和四极虚势能项的非厄米哈密顿算符来描述Paul阱中囚禁阻尼单离子在静电场下的量子运动.通过导出和分析系统的精确解,得到在PT对称和不对称情形下的不同实能谱与稳定量子态,以及PT不对称情形的虚能谱和衰减量子态,同时给出相应于不同态的参数区域和存活概率.结果发现该非厄米系统外场参数能惟一确定量子稳定态并导致波函数形态变化,据此提出非相干操控相应量子跃迁的方法.让量子态衰减导致的离子位置期待值的衰减与经典阻尼谐振子的衰减一致,得到虚势能参数与经典阻尼参数的对应关系.所得结果将进一步丰富具有广泛应用背景的囚禁离子动力学.     

Independent oscillator model of a heat bath: Exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian

The problem of a quantum oscillator coupled to an independent-oscillator model of a heat bath is discussed. The transformation to normal coordinates is explicitly constructed using the method of Ullersma. With this transformation an alternative derivation of an exact formula for the oscillator free energy is constructed. The various contributions to the oscillator energy are calculated, with the aim of further understanding this formula. Finally, the limitations of linear coupling models, such as that used by Ullersma, are discussed in the form of some critical remarks.     

Interpretation of the Quantum Measurement: Example of a Linearly Coupled Harmonic Oscillator

We argue that it may be possible to consistently explain the quantum measurement by assuming that the wave function is in one-to-one correspondence with objective physical reality and has no probabilistic interpretation. In the context of such approach we consider the model of a harmonic oscillator linearly coupled to a heat bath and treat the oscillator as the system being measured. Three classes of initial pure states for the bath are considered. Exact expressions for the average values and variances of the oscillator coordinate and momentum as functions of time are considered for each class of pure states. It is shown that these quantities exhibit different asymptotic behavior for different classes of initial states of the bath. In particular, if each mode of the bath is initially in a coherent state, then for an arbitrary initial state of the oscillator the variances of the oscillator coordinate and momentum asymptotically approach the same values as for a coherent state of the free oscillator, while the averages of coordinate and momentum show a Brownian-like behavior. We argue that such behavior shows several features of the quantum measurement and supports our interpretation of the wave function.     

The Third Law of Quantum Thermodynamics in the Presence of Anomalous Couplings

The quantum thermodynamic functions of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a heat bath through velocity-dependent coupling are obtained analytically. It is shown that both the free energy and the entropy decay fast with the temperature in relation to that of the usual coupling from. This implies that the velocity-dependent coupling helps to ensure the third law of thermodynamics.     

Model study of dissipation in quantum phase transitions

We consider a prototypical system of an infinite range transverse field Ising model coupled to a bosonic bath. By integrating out the bosonic degrees, an effective anisotropic Heisenberg model is obtained for the spin system. The phase diagram of the latter is calculated as a function of coupling to the heat bath and the transverse magnetic field. Collective excitations at low temperatures are assessed within a spin-wave like analysis that exhibits a vanishing energy gap at the quantum critical point. We also discuss the possible realization and application of the model in different physical systems.     

Dynamic instability of supercritical driveshafts mounted on dissipative supports—Effects of viscous and hysteretic internal damping

The case of a rotating shaft with internal damping mounted either on elastic dissipative bearings or on infinitely rigid bearings with viscoelastic suspensions is investigated in order to obtain the stability region. A Euler-Bernoulli shaft model is adopted, in which the transverse shear effects are neglected and the effects of translational and rotatory inertia, gyroscopic moments, and internal viscous or hysteretic damping are taken into account. The hysteretic damping is incorporated with an equivalent viscous damping coefficient. Free motion analysis yields critical speeds and threshold speeds for each damping model in analytical form. In the case of elastic dissipative bearings, the present results are compared with the results of previous studies on finite element models. In the case of infinitely rigid bearings with viscoelastic suspensions, it is established that viscoelastic supports increase the stability of long shafts, thus compensating for the loss of efficiency which occurs with classical bearings. The instability criteria also show that the effect of the coupling which occured between rigid modes introducing external damping and shaft modes are almost more important than damping factor. Lastly, comparisons between viscous and hysteretic damping conditions lead to the conclusion that an appropriate material damping model is essential to be able to assess these instabilities.     

Theory of a Heavy Particle Coupled with an Electron Gas

We study a heavy particle moving in metallic environment Which is represented by a bath of degenerate electron gas. Assuming that the Ferrni energy of the screening clcctrons is a large scale in comparison with tlrat of heavy particle, we calculate the partition furlction of the whole system by using functional integral techniques with Grassman variables. After integrating out the freedom of electron gas, it can be found that the hopping of the particle is suppressed by the bath. The effective action is treated self-consistently. We find that in the strong coupling limit the phase shift of the electron on the local Fermi surface tends to π/N , leading to the instability of Fermi sea and tlre formation of resonant state. A "Kondo" temperature is introduced to define the width of resonant state and to clraracterize the boundary from quantum to classical dyriamics of the particle as well.     

Relaxation and dephasing in a many-fermion generalization of the Caldeira-Leggett model

We analyze a model system of fermions in a harmonic oscillator potential under the influence of a fluctuating force generated by a bath of harmonic oscillators. This represents an extension of the well-known Caldeira-Leggett model to the case of many fermions. Using the method of bosonization, we calculate Green's functions and discuss relaxation and dephasing of a single extra particle added above the Fermi sea. We also extend our analysis to a more generic coupling between system and bath that results in complete thermalization of the system.     

Brownian localization： A generalized coupling model yielding a nonergodic Langevin equation description

A minimal system-plus-reservoir model yielding a nonergodic Langevin equation is proposed, which originates from the cubic-spectral density of environmental oscillators and momentum-dependent coupling. This model allows ballistic diffusion and classical localization simultaneously, in which the fluctuation-dissipation relation is still satisfied but the Khinchin theorem is broken. The asymptotical equilibrium for a nonergodic system requires the initial thermal equilibrium, however, when the system starts from nonthermal conditions, it does not approach the equilibration even though a nonlinear potential is used to bound the particle, this can be confirmed by the zerotb law of thermodynamics. In the dynamics of Brownian localization, due to the memory damping function inducing a constant term, our results show that the stationary distribution of the system depends on its initial preparation of coordinate rather than momentum. The coupled oscillator chain with a fixed end boundary acts as a heat bath, which has long been used in studies of collinear atom/solid-surface scattering and lattice vibration, we investigate this problem from the viewpoint of nonergodicity.     

Isothermal Maxwell daemon: Swing (fish-trap) model of particle pumping

A new model of a small open quantum system (swing or fish-trap model) is presented and solved. Analysis of the Hamiltonian as well as quantum solution shows that the model yields pumping of particles (ions, electrons) from one to another side preserving or even slightly increasing (on account of energy of the infinite thermodynamic bath) the mean particle energy. The effect reminds of the Maxwell daemon (working here, however, in isothermal conditions) and is due to a combination of a fast relaxation of the scatterer (central system) in intermediate states owing to its coupling to the thermodynamic bath with a special type of its instability in the intermediate state.     

Nonlinear conductance fluctuations in a mesoscopic ring

We study the conductance of a single particle on a ring subject to an arbitrary dc electric field, which is generated by a linearly in time increasing magnetic flux. The full quantum mechanical time development is calculated numerically by splitting the dynamics into independent consecutive Zener tunneling transitions and free motion on the ring. The Zener transitions occur near the avoided crossings of the bandstructure which arises from the adiabatic eigenstates as a function of flux in the presence of a static scattering potential. To account for the necessary dissipation the particle is coupled to an appropriate oscillator bath which is adjusted to give a strictly linear current-voltage characteristic for arbitrary voltage and temperature in the absence of scattering. Taking a single δ-function scatterer we find that the dissipative coupling eliminates the localization in energy space found previously and leads to a well defined resistive steady state. The scattering introduces reproducible fluctuations around the average Ohmic behavior which are caused by coherent backscattering. Their magnitude depends on the strength of the scattering potential and decays slowly for large voltages. The associated correlation energy is determined by the uncertainty of the eigenstates due to the dissipative bath coupling. Thermal averaging leads to a decrease of the conductance fluctuations proportional to T^?1.     

Quantum non-Markovian Langevin equations and transport coefficients

Quantum diffusion equations featuring explicitly time-dependent transport coefficients are derived from generalized non-Markovian Langevin equations. Generalized fluctuation-dissipation relations and analytic expressions for calculating the friction and diffusion coefficients in nuclear processes are obtained. The asymptotic behavior of the transport coefficients and correlation functions for a damped harmonic oscillator that is linearly coupled in momentum to a heat bath is studied. The coupling to a heat bath in momentum is responsible for the appearance of the diffusion coefficient in coordinate. The problem of regression of correlations in quantum dissipative systems is analyzed.     

On the quantum langevin equation

The quantum Langevin equation is the Heisenberg equation of motion for the (operator) coordinate of a Brownian particle coupled to a heat bath. We give an elementary derivation of this equation for a simple coupled-oscillator model of the heat bath.Deceased.