Abstract
This paper is devoted to Landau's concept of the problem of damping in quantum mechanics. It shows that Landau's density matrix formalism should survive in the context of modern quantum electrodynamics. The correct generalized master equation has been derived for the reduced dynamics of the charges. The recent relativistic theory of spontaneous emission becomes reproducible.
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Contributed to the Landau Memorial Conference on Frontiers of Physics, Tel Aviv, 1988.
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Diósi, L. Landau's density matrix in quantum electrodynamics. Found Phys 20, 63–70 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00732935
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00732935