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Molecular Physics
An International Journal at the Interface Between Chemistry and Physics
Volume 32, 1976 - Issue 4
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Original Articles

On the quantum dynamics of relaxation of a two-level system coupled to a thermal bath

Pages 1091-1109 | Received 02 Mar 1976, Published online: 23 Aug 2006
 

Abstract

A quantum-mechanical treatment of the dynamics of relaxation of a twolevel mode coupled to a thermal bath is presented. The Zwanzig-Mori projection-operator formalism is employed to derive exact equations of motion for the correlation function and the excess population , where and are the coordinate and number operators associated with the two-level mode. In the van Hove weak-coupling limit it is shown that |G ν|2 and Δn decay exponentially with time constants τ and τ′, respectively. Explicit expressions for τ and τ′ are determined and the relationship between them clearly established. The application of the model to the specific problem of the effects of vibrational relaxation on isotropic Raman spectral lineshapes in dense media is emphasized.

Written while the author was on sabbatical leave from the Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana, during the period 1 July 1975–30 June 1976.

Written while the author was on sabbatical leave from the Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana, during the period 1 July 1975–30 June 1976.

Notes

Written while the author was on sabbatical leave from the Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, W. Lafayette, Indiana, during the period 1 July 1975–30 June 1976.

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