Decoherence : theoretical, experimental, and conceptual problems : proceedings of a workshop held at Bielefeld, Germany, 10-14 November 1998

Decoherence is a quantum-mechanical process that dynamically describes the apparent loss of quantum coherence due to coupling of the system un- der observation to other degrees of freedom, which escape direct observation. Typical examples are given by scattering processes, in which the off-scattered particles (and/or radiation) are not detected. In such processes quantum correlations between the observed system and its environment become delo- calized in an effectively irreversible manner. Such quantum correlations can neither be seen by observations on one or the other system alone, nor inter- preted as statistical correlations between existing (i.e., defined, but possibly unknown) states of local systems. They truly reflect the non-local nature of quantum mechanics.

In this book the process of decoherence is reviewed from both the theoretical and the experimental physicist's point of view. Implications of this important concept for fundamental problems of quantum theory and for chemistry and biology are also given. This broad review of decoherence addresses researchers and graduate students. It could also be used in seminar work.