Mechanisms of decoherence at low temperatures

We briefly review the oscillator and spin bath models of quantum environments, which can be used to describe the low-energy dynamics of open quantum systems. We then use them to discuss both the mechanisms causing decoherence at low T, and the dynamics of this decoherence. This is done first for a central two-level system coupled to these environments - the results can be applied to the dynamics of quantum nanomagnets and superconducting SQUIDs, where large-scale tunnelling of magnetisation and flux take place. Decoherence in these systems is caused principally by coupling to electrons and nuclear spins - the spin bath couplings are particularly dangerous at low T. We may also generalise these models to discuss quantum measurements in which the measured system, the measuring apparatus, and the environment are treated quantum mechanically. The results can be used to calculate the dynamics of coupled SQUIDs and/or nanomagnets, in which one acts as a measuring apparatus and the other exhibits large-scale quantum superpositions. The same model can be used to describe coupled qubits. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.