Decay of an atom coupled strongly to a reservoir

B. M. Garraway
Phys. Rev. A 55, 4636 – Published 1 June 1997
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Abstract

An approach to the decay of a two-state quantum system coupled to a resonant environment is developed in terms of exact (nonperturbative) master equations. Starting from a quantum optical model of a two-level system coupled to a heatbath, it is shown that the effect of the bath can be replaced by one or more pseudomodes. This description is valid for a wide class of analytic density-of-state functions and it leads to exact master equations which fully describe the non-Markovian decay of the quantum system without the use of perturbation theory, the Born approximation, or the Markov approximation. Two examples are given: a simple model of a density-of-states gap which has two poles, and a non-Lorentzian resonance.

    DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.55.4636

    ©1997 American Physical Society

    Authors & Affiliations

    B. M. Garraway

    • Optics Section, The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BZ, United Kingdom

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    Issue

    Vol. 55, Iss. 6 — June 1997

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