Persistence of coherent quantum dynamics at strong dissipation
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Updated: May 14, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Denis Kast1, Joachim Ankerhold
1Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany.
Abstract:
The quantum dynamics of a two-state system coupled to a bosonic reservoir with sub-Ohmic spectral density is investigated for strong friction. Numerically exact path integral Monte Carlo methods reveal that a changeover from coherent to incoherent relaxation does not occur for a broad class of spectral distributions. In nonequilibrium coherences associated with substantial system-reservoir entanglement exist even when strong dissipation forces the thermodynamic state of the system to behave almost classically. This may be of relevance for current experiments with nanoscale devices.
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