Relaxation phenomena in a system of two harmonic oscillators

Antonia Chimonidou and E. C. G. Sudarshan
Phys. Rev. A 77, 032121 – Published 28 March 2008

Abstract

We study the process by which quantum correlations are created when an interaction Hamiltonian is repeatedly applied to a system of two harmonic oscillators for some characteristic time interval. We show that, for the case where the oscillator frequencies are equal, the initial Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions of the uncoupled parts evolve to a new Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution through a series of transient Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions, or quasistationary, nonequilibrium states. Further, we discuss why the equilibrium reached when the two oscillator frequencies are unequal is not a thermal one. All the calculations are exact and the results are obtained through an iterative process, without using perturbation theory.

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  • Received 29 May 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.77.032121

©2008 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Antonia Chimonidou* and E. C. G. Sudarshan

  • Center for Complex Quantum Systems, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C1600, Austin, Texas 78712, USA

  • *antonia@physics.utexas.edu

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Issue

Vol. 77, Iss. 3 — March 2008

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