Quantum Brownian Motion as a Classical Stochastic Process in Phase Space

Abstract

We establish that the exact quantum dynamics of a Brownian particle in the Caldeira-Leggett model can be mapped, at any temperature, onto a classical, non-Markovian stochastic process in phase space. Starting from a correlated thermal equilibrium state between the particle and bath, we prove that this correspondence is exact for quadratic potentials under arbitrary quantum state preparations of the particle itself. For more general, smooth potentials, we identify and exploit a natural small parameter: the density matrix becomes strongly quasidiagonal in the coordinate representation, with its off-diagonal width shrinking as the bath's spectral cutoff increases, providing a controlled parameter for accurate approximation. The framework is fully general: arbitrary initial quantum states-including highly non-classical superpositions-are incorporated via their Wigner functions, which serve as statistical weights for trajectory ensembles. Furthermore, the formalism naturally accommodates external manipulations and measurements modeled by preparation functions acting at arbitrary times, enabling the simulation of complex driven-dissipative quantum protocols.