Conjugate measurements, equilibration and emergent classicality

TL;DR

The paper explores how simultaneous decoherence of conjugate variables in an open quantum system results in emergent classical behavior, modeled through environmental measurements of these observables.

Contribution

It introduces a scenario where environmental measurements induce classicality by decohering conjugate quantum observables simultaneously.

Findings

Decoherence leads to a uniform phase space distribution.

Measurement of conjugate observables by the environment can produce classical statistical mechanics.

The approach links quantum measurement processes to emergent classicality.

Abstract

Simultaneous decoherence of conjugate observables of an open quantum system leads to a classical statistical mechanical description with constant phase space probability density in terms of a uniform ensemble. We investigate a scenario where this may be realized by measurement of basic conjugate observables of a quantum system by the environment.