The correlation function for a quantum oscillator in a low-temperature heat bath

The momentum autocorrelation function c(t) for a quantum oscillator coupled with harmonic forces to a heat bath of oscillators is calculated at low temperatures. It is found that c(t) contains two distinct terms: one, the zero-point contribution c₀(t), is temperature independent, and the other, c₁(t), does depend on temperature. We concentrate our attention on the low-temperature case. An expression for c₁(t) is obtained, which is valid for arbitrary strenghts of the coupling and for arbitrary times. It is shown that c₁(t) is governed by the low-frequency behaviour of F(λ) = A²(λ)ϱ(λ), where ϱ(λ) is the density of normal modes and A(λ) is the central-oscillator component of the λth normal mode; other details of the problem are irrelevant. It is found that c₁(t) decays in time as an inverse-power law, with a relaxation time t_q ≈ ħ/kT.