Variational transition-state theory for reaction rates in dissipative systems

Abstract
Variational upper bounds are derived for the escape rate of a particle trapped in a metastable well and interacting wth a dissipative medium. The theory leads to a reduced two-degrees-of-freedom Hamiltonian involving the unstable normal mode and a newly defined collective bath mode. Explicit treatment of strong nonlinearities or low-barrier systems present no special problem.

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