The threshold for quantum-classical correspondence is $D \sim \hbar^{\frac43}$

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Hauptverfasser: Hernández, Felipe, Ranard, Daniel, Riedel, C. Jess
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Hernández, Felipe
Ranard, Daniel
Riedel, C. Jess
author_facet Hernández, Felipe
Ranard, Daniel
Riedel, C. Jess
contents In chaotic quantum systems, an initially localized quantum state can deviate strongly from the corresponding classical phase-space distribution after the Ehrenfest time $t_{\mathrm{E}} \sim \log(\hbar^{-1})$, even in the limit $\hbar \to 0$. Decoherence by the environment is often invoked to explain the persistence of the quantum-classical correspondence at longer timescales. Recent rigorous results for Lindblad dynamics with phase-space diffusion strength $D$ show that quantum and classical evolutions remain close for times that are exponentially longer than the Ehrenfest time whenever $D \gg \hbar^{\frac43}$, in units set by the classical Hamiltonian. At the same time, some heuristic arguments have suggested the weaker condition $D \gg \hbar^{2}$ always suffices. Here we construct an explicit Lindbladian that demonstrates that the scaling $D \sim \hbar^{\frac43}$ is indeed the threshold for quantum-classical correspondence beyond the Ehrenfest time. Our example uses a smooth time-dependent Hamiltonian and linear Lindblad operators generating homogeneous isotropic diffusion. It exhibits an $\hbar$-independent quantum-classical discrepancy at the Ehrenfest time whenever $D \ll \hbar^{\frac43}$, even for $\hbar$-independent "macroscopic" smooth observables.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_17623
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The threshold for quantum-classical correspondence is $D \sim \hbar^{\frac43}$
Hernández, Felipe
Ranard, Daniel
Riedel, C. Jess
Quantum Physics
Mathematical Physics
Analysis of PDEs
In chaotic quantum systems, an initially localized quantum state can deviate strongly from the corresponding classical phase-space distribution after the Ehrenfest time $t_{\mathrm{E}} \sim \log(\hbar^{-1})$, even in the limit $\hbar \to 0$. Decoherence by the environment is often invoked to explain the persistence of the quantum-classical correspondence at longer timescales. Recent rigorous results for Lindblad dynamics with phase-space diffusion strength $D$ show that quantum and classical evolutions remain close for times that are exponentially longer than the Ehrenfest time whenever $D \gg \hbar^{\frac43}$, in units set by the classical Hamiltonian. At the same time, some heuristic arguments have suggested the weaker condition $D \gg \hbar^{2}$ always suffices. Here we construct an explicit Lindbladian that demonstrates that the scaling $D \sim \hbar^{\frac43}$ is indeed the threshold for quantum-classical correspondence beyond the Ehrenfest time. Our example uses a smooth time-dependent Hamiltonian and linear Lindblad operators generating homogeneous isotropic diffusion. It exhibits an $\hbar$-independent quantum-classical discrepancy at the Ehrenfest time whenever $D \ll \hbar^{\frac43}$, even for $\hbar$-independent "macroscopic" smooth observables.
title The threshold for quantum-classical correspondence is $D \sim \hbar^{\frac43}$
topic Quantum Physics
Mathematical Physics
Analysis of PDEs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17623