Born-Oppenheimer approximation for open quantum systems within the quantum trajectory approach

Using the quantum trajectory approach, we extend the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) approximation from closed to open quantum systems, where the open quantum system is described by a master equation in Lindblad form. The BO approximation is defined and the validity condition is derived. We find that the dissipation in fast variables improves the BO approximation, unlike the dissipation in slow variables. A detailed comparison is presented between this extension and our previous approximation based on the effective Hamiltonian approach [X. L. Huang and X. X. Yi, Phys. Rev. A 80, 032108 (2009)]. Several additional features and advantages are analyzed, which show that the two approximations are complementary to each other. Two examples are described to illustrate our method.