Decoherence and Initial Correlations in Quantum Brownian Motion

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We analyze the evolution of a quantum Brownian particle starting from an initial state that contains correlations between this system and its environment. Using a path integral approach, we obtain a master equation for the reduced density matrix of the system finding relatively simple expressions for its time dependent coefficients. We examine the evolution of delocalized initial states (Schrödinger's cats) investigating the effectiveness of the decoherence process. Analytic results are obtained for an ohmic environment (Drude's model) at zero temperature.