Decoherence of Coupled Quantum Oscillators: Going Beyond the Caldeira-Leggett Approximation

Abstract: We calculate the reduced density matrix for a system of coupled harmonic oscillators in a bosonic heat bath using the Born-Markov approximation and show that the expectation values of position and momentum evolve like classical quantities. We consider the cases where every oscillator is coupled to its own reservoir and where all oscillators are coupled to the same heat bath, pointing out the differences between these two models. In particular, for systems coupled to a common reservoir, we present an uncommon dissipation mechanism, which disappears, when the dynamics of the system are gouverned by the low frequency modes of the environment (Caldeira-Leggett limit). We also address the interesting phenomenon of reservoir-induced interactions.