Quantum to classical limit of open systems

Abstract

We present a complete review of the quantum-to-classical limit of open systems by means of the theory of decoherence and the use of the Weyl-Wigner-Moyal (WWM) transformation. We show that the analytical extension of the Hamiltonian provides a set of poles that can be used to (a) explain the non-unitary evolution of the relevant system and (b) completely define the set of preferred states that constitute the mixture into which the system decoheres: the Moving Preferred Basis. Moreover, we show that the WWM of these states are the best candidates to obtain the trajectories in the classical phase-space.