Responses of small quantum systems subjected to finite baths

Abstract

We have studied responses to applied external forces of the quantum $(N_S+N_B)$ model for $N_S$-body interacting harmonic oscillator (HO) system subjected to $N_B$-body HO bath, by using canonical transformations combined with Husimi's method for a driven quantum HO [K. Husimi, Prog. Theor. Phys. {\bf 9}, 381 (1953)]. It has been shown that the response to a uniform force expressed by the Hamiltonian: $H_f= -f(t) \sum_{k=1}^{N_S} Q_k$ is generally not proportional to $N_S$ except for no system-bath couplings, where $f(t)$ expresses its time dependence and $Q_k$ denotes a position operator of $k$th particle of the system. We have calculated also the response to a space- and time-dependent force expressed by $H_f= -f(t) \sum_{k=1}^{N_S} Q_k \: e^{i 2 \pi k u/N_S}$, where the wavevector $u$ is $u=0$ and $u=-N_S/2$ for uniform and staggered forces, respectively. The spatial correlation $\Gamma_m$ for a pair of positions of $Q_k$ and $Q_{k+m}$ has been studied as functions of $N_S$ and the temperature. Our calculations have indicated an importance of taking account of finite $N_S$ in studying quantum open systems which generally include arbitrary numbers of particles.