On time superoperator and dynamical fluctuations in photoemission

Abstract

Some basic concepts of the Prigogine microscopic theory of irreversibility are discussed in the physical context of molecular dynamical processes in condensed systems. The removal of the “dual role” that the Hamiltonian plays within conventional quantum theory corresponds to the introduction of a star-Hermitian superoperator called “intrinsic time.” The existence of dynamically induced fluctuations around steady states is predicted. With the aid of a new photon-counting experiment these fluctuations have been detected. The experiment allows us to resolve broad luminescence bands through the detection of the underlying vibrational structure.