Open quantum system approach to the Unruh-DeWitt detector in impulsive plane wave spacetimes

Abstract: In this paper we employ the open quantum system framework with the influence functional formalism to non-perturbatively analyze the response of an Unruh-DeWitt detector modeled as a harmonic oscillator which interacts with a massless scalar field in impulsive plane wave spacetimes. Subtracting the Minkowski results, we obtain the expectation values for $\langle Q² \rangle$, $\langle P² \rangle$, and $\langle {Q,P} \rangle$, along with transition probabilities $P_{0\rightarrow 1}$ from ground state to the first excited state of the detector due to the influence of the wave. Explicit calculations are performed for both a pure gravitational wave (vanishing Ricci tensor) and a null electromagnetic wave (vanishing Weyl tensor). In both scenarios, the wave suppresses excitation transitions. Since our approach is non-perturbative, we are able to consider cases with both weak and strong coupling constants.