Effect of high frequency modes of medium on an open quantum system

Abstract

We present a method to calculate the real time effective propagator of a generic open quantum system, immersed in a medium using a wave function based framework. The medium is characterised by a set of harmonic oscillators having a continuous span of frequencies. This technique has been applied to the Caldeira-Leggett model showing that high frequency modes of the medium do not contribute towards decay of the population of states of the open system. In fact, they cause a Rabi type oscillation. Moreover, our wave function based approach provides an excellent alternative to conventional formalisms involving the density matrix.