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Title: Quantum Markovian master equation for scattering from surfaces

Journal Article · · Journal of Chemical Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4851075· OSTI ID:22253660
;  [1]; ; ;  [2]
  1. College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China)
  2. Chemical Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovoth (Israel)

We propose a semi-phenomenological Markovian Master equation for describing the quantum dynamics of atom-surface scattering. It embodies the Lindblad-like structure and can describe both damping and pumping of energy between the system and the bath. It preserves positivity and correctly accounts for the vanishing of the interaction of the particle with the surface when the particle is distant from the surface. As a numerical test, we apply it to a model of an Ar atom scattered from a LiF surface, allowing for interaction only in the vertical direction. At low temperatures, we find that the quantum mechanical average energy loss is smaller than the classical energy loss. The numerical results obtained from the space dependent friction master equation are compared with numerical simulations for a discretized bath, using the multi-configurational time dependent Hartree methodology. The agreement between the two simulations is quantitative.

OSTI ID:
22253660
Journal Information:
Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 140, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-9606
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English