This book deals with the statistical mechanics and dynamics of open quantum systems moving irreversibly under the influence of a dissipative environment. The basic concepts and methods are described on the basis of a microscopic description with emphasis on the functional integral approach. The general theory for the time evolution of the density matrix of the damped system is developed. Many of the sophisticated ideas in the field are explained with simple methods. The discussion includes, among others, the interplay between thermal and quantum fluctuations, quantum statistical decay,...

Recent advances in the quantum theory of macroscopic systems have brightened up the field and brought it into the focus of a general community in natural sciences. The fundamental concepts, methods and applications including the most recent developments, previously covered for the most part only in the original literature, are presented here in a comprehensive treatment to an audience who is reasonably familiar with quantum-statistical mechanics and has had rudimentary contacts with the path integral formulation.

This book deals with the phenomena and theory of decoherence and dissipation...

Suitable for graduate students in physics and researchers, this title introduces the fundamental concepts and methods of dissipative quantum mechanics and explores related phenomena in condensed matter systems.

This book deals with the statistical mechanics and dynamics of open quantum systems moving irreversibly under the influence of a dissipative environment. The basic concepts and methods are described on the basis of a microscopic description with emphasis on the functional integral approach. The general theory for the time evolution of the density matrix of the damped system is developed. Many of the sophisticated ideas in the field are explained with simple methods. The discussion includes, among others, the interplay between thermal and quantum fluctuations, quantum statistical decay,...