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Abstract We investigate the dynamics of two quantum mechanical oscillator system–bath toy models obtained by truncating to zero spatial dimensions linearized gravity coupled to a massive scalar field and scalar quantum electrodynamics (QED). The scalar-gravity toy model maps onto the phase damped oscillator, while the scalar QED toy model approximately maps onto an oscillator system subject to two-photon damping. The toy models provide potentially useful insights into solving for open system quantum dynamics relevant to the full scalar QED and weak gravitational field systems, in particular operational probes of the decoherence for initial scalar field system superposition states.
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Transition between coherent and incoherent chirping mechanisms in electron-positron pair creation
We examine the effect of a frequency-chirped external force field on the final energy that has been absorbed by two classical mechanical oscillators, by quantum mechanical two- and three-level systems, and by electron-positron pairs that were created from the quantum field theoretical Dirac vacuum. By comparing the final dynamical responses to the original force field with that associated with the corresponding time-reversed field, we can test the sensitivity of each of these five systems to the temporal phase information contained in the field. We predict that the linear oscillator, the two-level atom, and the pair-creation process triggered by a spatially homogeneous field are remarkably immune to this phase, whereas the quartic oscillator, the three-level atom, or the pair-creation process caused by a space-time field absorb the provided energy differently depending on the temporal details of the external field.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1803226
- PAR ID:
- 10139473
- Publisher / Repository:
- Optical Society of America
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the Optical Society of America B
- Volume:
- 37
- Issue:
- 4
- ISSN:
- 0740-3224; JOBPDE
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: Article No. 1098
- Size(s):
- Article No. 1098
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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