Some Remarks on Quantum Coherence

Abstract

There are many striking phenomena which are attributed to ``quantum coherence''. It is natural to wonder if there are new quantum coherence effects waiting to be discovered which could lead to interesting results and perhaps even practical applications. A useful starting point for such discussions is a definition of ``quantum coherence''. In this article I give a definition of quantum coherence and use a number of illustrations to explore the implications of this definition. I point to topics of current interest in the fields of cosmology and quantum computation where questions of quantum coherence arise, and I emphasize the impact that interactions with the environment can have on quantum coherence.

25 pages plain LaTeX, no figures. More references have been added and typos have been corrected. Journal of Modern Optics, in press. Imperial/TP/93-94/14

References in corpus (4)

• Decoherence, Chaos, and the Second Law
• Toward a Quantum Theory of Observation
• Following a "Collapsing" Wavefunction
• Locating Overlap Information in Quantum Systems

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• Frozen Quantum Coherence
• Experimental Observation of a Generalized Thouless Pump with a Single Spin
• Delineating incoherent non-Markovian dynamics using quantum coherence
• Irreversible degradation of quantum coherence under relativistic motion
• Quantum Particles as Conceptual Entities: A Possible Explanatory Framework for Quantum Theory
• Protecting quantum coherence of two-level atoms from vacuum fluctuations of electromagnetic field
• Quantum non-linear evolution of inflationary tensor perturbations
• The influence of the Earth's curved spacetime on Gaussian quantum coherence
• Coherence and entanglement in Grover and Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd algorithm
• Generation of Coherence via Gaussian Measurements
• Quantum Fisher information and coherence of an atom in a dissipative cavity
• Adapted Caldeira-Leggett Model
• Incoherent Gaussian equivalence of $m-$mode Gaussian states
• Revealing many-body effects on interband coherence through adiabatic charge pumping
• Optimal Photon blockade on the maximal atomic coherence
• A Search for Classical Subsystems in Quantum Worlds