Mainz 2017 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 40: Poster: Quantum Optics and Photonics II

Q 40.46: Poster

Wednesday, March 8, 2017, 17:00–19:00, P OG2

A Lorentz-covariant master equation for a scalar quantum field — •Marduk Bolaños and Klaus Hornberger — Fakultät für Physik, Universität Duisburg-Essen

The interaction of quantum particles with their environment has been thoroughly studied in the non-relativistic regime. However, ongoing superposition experiments involving large numbers of photons [1] call for an extension of decoherence models to the electro-magnetic quantum field, which is inherently relativistic. Relativistic models of decoherence will also enable the extension of empirical measures of macroscopicity of the kind introduced in [2] to this regime. As a starting point we consider a relativistic quantum particle, described as an excitation of a scalar field, subject to random momentum kicks. This study will pave the way to a Lorentz-covariant master equation for the dynamics of quantum fields.
[1] E. Nagali et al, PRA 76, 042126 (2007).

[2] S. Nimmrichter and K. Hornberger, PRL 110, 160403 (2013).