Joachim Ankerhold, Hermann Grabert, Philip Pechukas
Published 2004-12-14, updated 2005-01-13Version 2
Quantum Brownian motion in the strong friction limit is studied based on the exact path integral formulation of dissipative systems. In this limit the time-nonlocal reduced dynamics can be cast into an effective equation of motion, the quantum Smoluchowski equation. For strongly condensed phase environments it plays a similar role as master equations in the weak coupling range. Applications for chemical, mesoscopic, and soft matter systems are discussed and reveal the substantial role of quantum fluctuations.
Comments: 11 pages, 6 figures, to appear in: Chaos: "100 years of Brownian motion"
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