Projection operators generalized master equation

Various methods have been developed that interpolate between the coherent and incoherent regimes (for reviews see, e.g. (3)-(5)). Well-known approaches use the stochastic Liouville equation, of which the Haken-Strobl-Reineker (3) model is an example, and the generalized master equation (4). A powerful technique, which in principle deals with all aspects of the problem, uses the reduced density matrix of the exciton subsystem, which is obtained by projecting out all degrees of freedom (the bath) from the total statistical operator (6). This reduced density operator obeys a closed non-Markovian (integrodifferential) equation with a memory kernel that includes the effects of (multiple) interactions between the excitons and the bath. In practice, one is often forced to truncate this kernel at the level of two interactions. In the Markov approximation, the resulting description is known as Redfield theory (7). 

Making use of the projection operator defined by Eq. (585) and the generalized master equation given by Eq. (562), one can constmct the following generalized phenomenological equations for the case of spatially dependent thermodynamic coordinates ... 

We end this discussion with two comments. First, we note that the Nakajima-Zwanzig equation (10.100) is exact no approximations whatever were made in its derivation. Second, this identity can be used in many ways, depending on the choice of the projection operator P. The thermal projector (10.87) is a physically motivated choice. In what follows we present a detailed derivation of the quantum master equation using this projector and following steps similar to those taken above, however, we will sacrifice generality in order to get practical usable results. 

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