A PHASE-SPACE STUDY OF BLOCH-REDFIELD THEORY

A phase-space representation of Bloch-Redfield theory is used to descr ibe the dynamical evolution of quantum dissipative systems. The result ing Liouville operator equations are capable of incorporating both the master equation in eigenstate space and the stochastic equation in cl assical phase space, and thus provide a useful framework for mixing cl assical, semiclassical, and quantum dynamics for simulating complicate d dissipative systems. Ln addition, the proper limit of quantum dissip ation, the approximate nature of the second-order cumulant truncation, the detailed balance of quantum correlation functions, and the reduct ion of dissipation by a transformation of the bath Hamiltonian are inv estigated within the framework of phase-space Bloch-Redfield theory. ( C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.