Scientists simplify complex model of quantum environment effects

Hongfei Zhan, Ernest W.Z. Pan, and Zhenning Cai of the National University of Singapore have developed an algorithm that halves the spatial dimensionality of open quantum system simulations using the Caldeira-Leggett model, a framework for understanding environmental impacts on quantum systems. The researchers reduced complex, high-dimensional integrals to one- and two-dimensional integrals by utilizing the frozen Gaussian approximation for both evolution and interaction operators, regardless of the truncation level of the Dyson series expansion. This efficient algorithm, validated through a two-dimensional double slit simulation, enables deterministic studies of more realistic open quantum systems. The work demonstrates a method for simulating the two-dimensional Caldeira-Leggett model, a feat previously unattainable. A…