Quantification of memory effects in the spin-boson model

Abstract: Employing a recently proposed measure for quantum non-Markovianity, we carry out a systematic study of the size of memory effects in the spin-boson model for a large region of temperature and frequency cutoff parameters. The dynamics of the open system is described utilizing a second-order time-convolutionless master equation without the Markov or rotating wave approximations. While the dynamics is found to be strongly non-Markovian for low temperatures and cutoffs, in general, we observe a special regime favoring Markovian behavior. This effect is explained as resulting from a resonance between the system's transition frequency and the frequencies of the dominant environmental modes. We further demonstrate that the corresponding Redfield equation is capable of reproducing the characteristic features of the non-Markovian quantum behavior of the model.