arXiv:0707.3383 · Physical Review A
Relaxation to equilibrium driven via indirect control in Markovian dynamics
Raffaele Romano
Abstract
We prove that it is possible to modify the stationary states of a quantum dynamical semigroup, describing the irreversible evolution of a two-level system, by means of an auxiliary two-level system, a quantum probe that can be suitably prepared. The target system and the probe can be initially entangled or uncorrelated. We find that this indirect control of the stationary states is possible, even if there are no initial correlations, under suitable conditions on the dynamical parameters characterizing the evolution of the joint system.