Coherence properties of the stochastic oscillator

An oscillator with stochastic frequency is discussed as a model for evaluat ing the quantum coherence properties of a physical system. It is found that the choice of jump statistics has to be considered with care if unphysical consequences are to be avoided. We investigate one such model, evaluate th e damping it causes, the decoherence rate and the correlations it results i n, and the properties of the state for asymptotically long times. Also the choice of initial state and its effect on the time evolution of the correla tions are discussed.