Decoherence of quantum fields: Pointer states and predictability

We study environmentally induced decoherence of an electromagnetic field in a homogeneous, linear, dielectric medium. We derive an independent oscillator model for such an environment, which is sufficiently realistic to encompass essentially all linear physical optics. Applying the ‘‘predictability sieve’’ to the quantum field, and introducing the concept of a ‘‘quantum halo,’’ we recover the familiar dichotomy between background field configurations and photon excitations around them. We are then able to explain why a typical linear environment for the electromagnetic field will effectively render the former classically distinct, but leave the latter fully quantum mechanical. Finally, we suggest how and why quantum matter fields should suffer a very different form of decoherence. © 1996 The American Physical Society.