Open quantum behaviour manifested in the double-slit experiment

¹ Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - Recife, 50740–560, Pernambuco, Brazil
² Coordenação de Ciência da Computação, Universidade Estadual do Piauí - 64202-220, Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil
³ Universidade Federal do ABC - 09210-580, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
⁴ Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Campus Ministro Petrônio Portela 64049-550, Teresina, Piauí, Brazil

^(a) E-mail: irismarpaz@ufpi.edu.br (corresponding author)

Received: 29 May 2023
Accepted: 9 August 2023

Abstract

In certain analyses of quantum systems, it is common to disregard the dissipation effect and focus solely on decoherence. This is because decoherence typically occurs on a much shorter timescale compared to dissipation. However, in order to gain insight into the role of dissipation, we examine the interference pattern in a double-slit experiment while considering both effects. To do so, we establish time scales for decoherence and dissipation and acknowledge the possibility of these effects occurring in close proximity. By comparing the relative intensity and fringe visibility between a purely decoherent model and a model that incorporates both decoherence and dissipation, we observe that when the time scales of decoherence and dissipation are similar, there exists a propagation time interval where dissipation contributes to a faster degradation of quantum features compared to the sole influence of decoherence. Hence, it is crucial to consider both decoherence and dissipation effects, especially when their time scales are closely aligned, to gain a comprehensive understanding of quantum behavior.