Quantum Monte Carlo method applied to non-Markovian barrier transmission

Abstract

In nuclear fusion and fission, fluctuation and dissipation arise because of the coupling of collective degrees of freedom with internal excitations. Close to the barrier, quantum, statistical, and non-Markovian effects are expected to be important. In this work, a new approach based on quantum Monte Carlo addressing this problem is presented. The exact dynamics of a system coupled to an environment is replaced by a set of stochastic evolutions of the system density. The quantum Monte Carlo method is applied to systems with quadratic potentials. In all ranges of temperature and coupling, the stochastic method matches the exact evolution, showing that non-Markovian effects can be simulated accurately. A comparison with other theories, such as Nakajima-Zwanzig or time-convolutionless, shows that only the latter can be competitive if the expansion in terms of coupling constant is made at least to fourth order. A systematic study of the inverted parabola case is made at different temperatures and coupling constants. The asymptotic passing probability is estimated by different approaches including the Markovian limit. Large differences with an exact result are seen in the latter case or when only second order in the coupling strength is considered, as is generally assumed in nuclear transport models. In contrast, if fourth order in the coupling or quantum Monte Carlo method is used, a perfect agreement is obtained.