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Decoherence of Quantum Tunneling Induced by Spontaneous Emission

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Abstract

We study the decoherence dynamics of quantum tunneling of a two-level atom coupled into a single-mode electromagnetic field. Atomic internal and external degrees are entangled with the cavity field due to recoil during emission of a photon. We show that the quantum tunneling period depends on the distance between the two wells, and the tunneling process itself may or may not decohere depending on the distance between the two wells of the external potential compared to the wavelength corresponding to the internal transition.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 11105021 and 11175044.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Information Science and Engineering College, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, 116034, People’s Republic of China

    Li Zheng, Yu-Jie Liu & Ying Shi

  2. Selen Science & Technology (Changzhou) Co., Ltd., Changzhou, People’s Republic of China

    Zhi-Hong Xiao

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  1. Li Zheng
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  2. Zhi-Hong Xiao
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  3. Yu-Jie Liu
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  4. Ying Shi
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Correspondence to Li Zheng.

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Zheng, L., Xiao, ZH., Liu, YJ. et al. Decoherence of Quantum Tunneling Induced by Spontaneous Emission. Int J Theor Phys 54, 2185–2191 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-014-2436-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10773-014-2436-7

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