Arbitrary spin in a spin bath: Exact dynamics and approximation techniques

Abstract: A model of an arbitrary spin coupled to a bath of spins 1/2 in a star configuration is considered. The exact reduced dynamics of the central spin is found for the case of non-correlated initial conditions of the system and the bath. The exact solution is used to test two approximation techniques, namely, the Nakajima-Zwanzig projection operator technique and the time-convolutionless projection operator technique corresponding to the second order of the coupling constant. Two types of projection operators are used for deriving the master equations and the results are compared with the exact solution for a central spin equal to one. It is shown that the approximate master equations reproduce the exact dynamics on time-scales $1/(A\sqrt{N})$, where A is the coupling constant and N is the number of spins in the bath.