Non-Equilibrium Quantum Electrodynamics

TL;DR

This paper develops a framework using influence functionals to analyze non-equilibrium quantum electrodynamics, deriving a master equation and exploring decoherence mechanisms due to electromagnetic field fluctuations.

Contribution

It introduces a method to trace out photonic degrees of freedom and derives a master equation for non-relativistic regimes, highlighting the role of time-dependent renormalization and decoherence.

Findings

Derived a master equation for spinor fields in non-relativistic QED

Analyzed the impact of electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations on decoherence

Discussed the emergence of superselection rules in non-equilibrium QED

Abstract

We employ the influence functional technique to trace out the photonic contribution from full quantum electrodynamics. The reduced density matrix propagator for the spinor field is then constructed. We discuss the role of time-dependent renormalization in the propagator and focus on the possibility of obtaining dynamically induced superselection rules. Finally, we derive the master equation for the case of the field being in an one-particle state in a non-relativistic regime and discuss whether EM vacuumm fluctuations are sufficient to produce decoherence in the position basis.