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arXiv:1304.4857

Quantum discord plays no distinguished role in characterization of complete positivity: Robustness of the traditional scheme

Krishna Kumar Sabapathy, J. Solomon Ivan, Sibasish Ghosh A, R. Simon

Published Apr 17, 2013• 4 citations

Abstract

The traditional scheme for realizing open-system quantum dynamics takes the initial state of the system-bath composite as a simple product. Currently, however, the issue of system-bath initial correlations possibly affecting the reduced dynamics of the system has been attracting considerable interest. The influential work of Shabani and Lidar [PRL {\bf 102}, 100402 (2009)] famously related this issue to quantum discord, a concept which has in recent years occupied the centre-stage of quantum information theory and has led to several fundamental results. They suggested that reduced dynamics is completely positive if and only if the initial system-bath correlations have vanishing quantum discord. Here we show that there is, within the Shabani-Lidar framework, no scope for any distinguished role for quantum discord in respect of complete positivity of reduced dynamics. Since most applications of quantum theory to real systems rests on the traditional scheme, its robustness demonstrated here could be of far-reaching significance.

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1304.4857

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Open quantum systems have attracted great attention, since inevitable coupling between quantum systems and their environment greatly affects the features of interest of these systems. Quantum discord, is a measure of the total nonclassical correlation in a quantum system that includes, but is not exclusive to, the distinct property of quantum entanglement. Quantum discord can exist in separated quantum states and plays an important role in many fundamental physics problems and practical quantum information tasks. There have been numerous investigations on quantum discord and its counterpart classical correlation. This short review focuses on highlighting the system-environment dynamics of two-qubit quantum discord and the influence of initial system-environment correlations on the dynamics of open quantum systems. The external control effect on the dynamics of open quantum systems are involved. Several related experimental works are discussed.

The description of the dynamics of a system that may be correlated with its environment is only meaningful within the context of a specific framework. Different frameworks rely upon different assumptions about the initial system-environment state. We reexamine the connections between complete positivity and quantum discord within two different sets of assumptions about the relevant family of initial states. We present an example of a system-environment state with nonvanishing quantum discord that leads to a completely positive map. This invalidates an earlier claim about the necessity of vanishing quantum discord for completely positive maps. In our final remarks, we discuss the physical validity of each approach.

We expand the set of initial states of a system and its environment that are known to guarantee completely positive reduced dynamics for the system when the combined state evolves unitarily. We characterize the correlations in the initial state in terms of its quantum discord [1]. We prove that initial states that have only classical correlations lead to completely positive reduced dynamics. The induced maps can be not completely positive when quantum correlations including, but not limited to, entanglement are present.

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