title: Quantum Markovian master equation for scattering from surfaces.
abstract: We propose a semi-phenomenological Markovian Master equation for describing the quantum dynamics of atom-surface scattering. It embodies the Lindblad-like structure and can describe both damping and pumping of energy between the system and the bath. It preserves positivity and correctly accounts for the vanishing of the interaction of the particle with the surface when the particle is distant from the surface. As a numerical test, we apply it to a model of an Ar atom scattered from a LiF surface, allowing for interaction only in the vertical direction. At low temperatures, we find that the quantum mechanical average energy loss is smaller than the classical energy loss. The numerical results obtained from the space dependent friction master equation are compared with numerical simulations for a discretized bath, using the multi-configurational time dependent Hartree methodology. The agreement between the two simulations is quantitative.
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Haifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
authors.forename: Jiushu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovoth, Israel.
authors.forename: Asaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azuri
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovoth, Israel.
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.affiliation: Chemical Physics Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100 Rehovoth, Israel.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alicki