We have presented a simple approach to quantum theory of Brownian motion and barrier crossing dynamics. Based on an initial coherent state representation of bath oscillators and an equilibrium canonical distribution of quantum-mechanical mean values of their co-ordinates and momenta we have derived a c number generalized quantum Langevin equation. The approach allows us to implement the method of classical non-Markovian Brownian motion to realize an exact generalized non-Markovian quantum Kramers' equation. The equation is valid for arbitrary temperature and friction. We have solved this equation in the spatial diffusion-limited regime to derive quantum Kramers' rate of barrier crossing and analyze its variation as a function of the temperature and friction. While almost all the earlier theories rest on quasiprobability distribution functions (e.g., Wigner function) and path integral methods, the present work is based on true probability distribution functions and is independent of path integral techniques. The theory is a natural extension of the classical theory to quantum domain and provides a unified description of thermally activated processes and tunneling.

Time delay in the kinetic terms of reaction-diffusion systems has been investigated. It has been shown that short delay beyond a critical threshold may induce spatiotemporal instabilities. For unequal diffusivities and appropriate parameter space delay may induce Turing instability resulting in stationary patterns and also interesting Turing-Hopf transition with the formation of spirals. The theoretical scheme has been numerically explored in two different prototypical reaction-diffusion systems.

We have explored a simple microscopic model to simulate a thermally activated rate process where the associated bath which comprises a set of relaxing modes is not in an equilibrium state. The model captures some of the essential features of non-Markovian Langevin dynamics with a fluctuating barrier. Making use of the Fokker-Planck description we calculate the barrier dynamics in the steady state and non-stationary regimes. The Kramers-Grote-Hynes reactive frequency has been computed in closed form in the steady state to illustrate the strong dependence of the dynamic coupling of the system with the relaxing modes. The influence of nonequilibrium excitation of the bath modes and its relaxation on the kinetics of activation of the system mode is demonstrated.We derive the dressed time-dependent Kramers rate in the nonstationary regime in closed analytical form which exhibits strong non-exponential relaxation kinetics of the reaction co-ordinate. The feature can be identified as a typical non-Markovian dynamical effect.

We consider a system-reservoir model where the reservoir is modulated by an external noise. Both the internal noise of the reservoir and the external noise are stationary, Gaussian and are characterized by arbitrary decaying correlation functions. Based on a relation between the dissipation of the system and the response function of the reservoir driven by external noise we numerically examine the model using a full bistable potential to show that one can recover the turn-over features of the usual Kramers' dynamics when the external noise modulates the reservoir rather than the system directly.We derive the generalized Kramers' rate for this nonequilibrium open system.

Varying cross section of confinement of a Brownian particle in two or higher dimensions results in an effective entropic barrier in reduced dimension. When the boundaries are subjected to periodic modulation, it is possible to observe a resonance of the mean first passage time between the lobes of a bilobal confined system as a function of the modulating frequency of the walls of the enclosure. The entropic resonant activation and the associated features, which are characteristic of the shape and size of the confinement, are amenable to a theoretical analysis in terms of a two-state model.