Exponential Decay of Wavelength in a Dissipative System

Abstract

Applying a technique developed in a recent work[1] to calculate wavefunction evolution in a dissipative system with Ohmic friction, we show that the wavelength of the wavefunction decays exponentially, while the Brownian motion width gradually increases. In an interference experiment, when these two parameters become equal, the Brownian motion erases the fringes, the system thus approaches classical limit. We show that the wavelength decay is an observable phenomenon.