Separation of scales: dynamical approximations for composite quantum systems*

Abstract

Abstract We consider composite quantum-dynamical systems that can be partitioned into weakly interacting subsystems, similar to system–bath type situations. Using a factorized wave function ansatz, we mathematically characterize dynamical scale separation. Specifically, we investigate a coupling régime that is partially flat, i.e. slowly varying with respect to one set of variables, for example, those of the bath. Further, we study the situation where one of the sets of variables is semiclassically scaled and derive a quantum–classical formulation. In both situations, we propose two schemes of dimension reduction: one based on Taylor expansion (collocation) and the other one based on partial averaging (mean-field). We analyze the error for the wave function and for the action of observables, obtaining comparable estimates for both approaches. The present study is the first step towards a general analysis of scale separation in the context of tensorized wavefunction representations.