Quantum theory of decoherence and thermalization in structured environments

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The aim of this project is to develop a realistic and comprehensive theory describing how the ro-translational quantum motion of nanoparticles is affected by inhomogeneous and anisotropic environments and by emission, absorption, and diffusive scattering processes occurring on the particle surfaces. We derive the corresponding quantum master equations by combining the theory of generalized and continuous measurements with concepts from scattering theory. This allows incorporating the interaction processes in a microscopically adequate fashion, while ensuring complete positivity and conformity with symmetry. Based on these Markovian quantum master equations, we study the impact of structured environments on future experiments with levitated and free-flying nanoparticles serving as quantum sensors or probing macroscopic quantum superpositions.