Decoherence in closed and open systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a generalized formal framework for understanding decoherence in both open and closed quantum systems, analyzing the relationship between their decoherence times and validating the approach with a known model.

Contribution

It presents a new formal framework for decoherence applicable to both open and closed systems, linking their decoherence times and demonstrating its effectiveness with a standard model.

Findings

Decoherence time of a closed system is much greater than that of its subsystems.

The formal framework yields physically adequate results in a well-known model.

The relationship between decoherence in closed systems and subsystems is clarified.

Abstract

A generalized formal framework for decoherence, that can be used both in open and closed quantum systems, is sketched. In this context, the relationship between the decoherence of a closed system and the decoherence of its subsystems is studied, and the corresponding decoherence times are defined: for macroscopic systems, the decoherence time of the closed system is much greater than the decoherence time of its subsystems. Finally, it is shown that the application of the new formal framework to a well-known model leads to physically adequate results.