An operator derivation of the Feynman-Vernon theory, with applications to the generating function of bath energy changes and to anharmonic baths

Abstract

We present a derivation of the Feynman-Vernon approach to open quantum systems in the language of super-operators. We show that this gives a new and more direct derivation of the generating function of energy changes in a bath, or baths. This generating function is given by a Feynman-Vernon-like influence functional, with only time shifts in some of the kernels. We further show that the approach can be extended to anharmonic baths by an expansion in cumulants. Every non-zero cumulant of certain environment correlation functions thus gives a kernel in a higher-order term in the Feynman-Vernon action.

arXiv comment13 pages, 2 figures

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• Modeling the unphysical pseudomode model with physical ensembles: simulation, mitigation, and restructuring of non-Markovian quantum noise
• A convenient Keldysh contour for thermodynamically consistent perturbative and semiclassical expansions
• Fröhlich-coupled qubits interacting with fermionic baths
• Error Bounds for Open Quantum Systems with Harmonic Bosonic Bath
• A perspective on Lindblad's Non-Equilibrium Entropy
• Markovian Embeddings of Non-Markovian Open System Dynamics