International Workshop on ''Atomic Physics''
mpipks

November 24 - 28, 2008

Focus on
"Quantum dynamics of atoms and molecules
in complex environments"

Semiclassical approaches to dissipative dynamics
Frank Grossmann
Technische Universität Dresden
In order to treat system-bath type dynamics two complementary strategies are introduced and discussed:

(i) A semiclassical hybrid approach for systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom is used to study decoherence effects due to the
interaction of an anharmonic molecular vibration mode with an oscillator bath.
(ii) In the path integral language, the coupling to an infinite bath of harmonic oscillators leads to the Feynman-Vernon influence functional. The memory-free unraveling of this functional by Stockburger and Grabert is implemented using the Herman-Kluk semiclassical initial value representation and it is shown that dynamical simulations of thermalization are possible.