Transition from quantum to classical behavior for some simple model systems

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in the question of why typical quantum mechanical properties, such as those connected with the superposition of states or diffraction patterns for material systems, are not observed on the classical macroscopic level. By discussing two simple model problems connected via the free-particle propagator, we show under what circumstances typical quantum effects that show up in these systems can attain significant magnitudes so as to have a chance to be observable. The influence of the interaction with a dissipative environment will also be considered, and the time scale where the effects reach their maximum and how they decay afterwards will be discussed. Furthermore, a comparison with recent scattering experiments will be given.