In models where preferred states are coherent states, the master equation for the reduced state of the system can be compared with the evolution of a classical Liouville distribution.
Master equation(as used in quantum mechanics and thermodynamics)
A mathematical equation that describes how a system changes over time by tracking all the ways it can evolve, often used in physics to simplify complex systems.
Quantum mechanics(the scientific framework being discussed)
The science of how the tiniest things in the universe (atoms, electrons, photons) behave—which turns out to work very differently than everyday objects.
coherent states(Quantum mechanics and environmental decoherence)
A class of preferred states in environmental decoherence models, characterized by being narrow wave packets in both position and momentum.
reduced state(Environmental decoherence)
The state of a system obtained by tracing out environmental degrees of freedom, described by a master equation in decoherence models.
In a number of models of environmental decoherence, however, it is obvious what the dynamical behaviour should be even at the level of individual components. Specifically, in models where the preferred states are coherent states, comparison of the master equation for the reduced state of the system with the evolution of a classical Liouville distribution suggests that the trajectories of individual components in fact approximate surprisingly well the corresponding Newtonian trajectories. Intuiti