We analyze the set ANQ of mixed unitary channels represented in the Weyl basis and accessible by a Lindblad semigroup acting on an N-level quantum system. General necessary and sufficient conditions for a mixed Weyl quantum channel of an arbitrary dimension to be accessible by a semigroup are established. The set ANQ is shown to be log-convex and star-shaped with respect to the completely depolarizing channel. A decoherence supermap acting in the space of Lindblad operators transforms them into the space of Kolmogorov generators of classical semigroups. We show that for mixed Weyl channels, the super-decoherence commutes with the dynamics so that decohering a quantum accessible channel, we obtain a bistochastic matrix from the set ANC of classical maps accessible by a semigroup. Focusing on three-level systems, we investigate the geometry of the sets of quantum accessible maps, its classical counterpart, and the support of their spectra. We demonstrate that the set A3Q is not included in the set U3Q of quantum unistochastic channels, although an analogous relation holds for N = 2. The set of transition matrices obtained by super-decoherence of unistochastic channels of order N ≥ 3 is shown to be larger than the set of unistochastic matrices of this order and yields a motivation to introduce the larger sets of k-unistochastic matrices.
We analyze the set ANQ of mixed unitary channels represented in the Weyl basis and accessible by a Lindblad semigroup acting on an N-level quantum system. General necessary and sufficient conditions for a mixed Weyl quantum channel of an arbitrary dimension to be accessible by a semigroup are established. The set ANQ is shown to be log-convex and star-shaped with respect to the completely depolarizing channel. A decoherence supermap acting in the space of Lindblad operators transforms them into the space of Kolmogorov generators of classical semigroups. We show that for mixed Weyl channels, the super-decoherence commutes with the dynamics so that decohering a quantum accessible channel, we obtain a bistochastic matrix from the set ANC of classical maps accessible by a semigroup. Focusing on three-level systems, we investigate the geometry of the sets of quantum accessible maps, its classical counterpart, and the support of their spectra. We demonstrate that the set A3Q is not included in the set U3Q of quantum unistochastic channels, although an analogous relation holds for N = 2. The set of transition matrices obtained by super-decoherence of unistochastic channels of order N ≥ 3 is shown to be larger than the set of unistochastic matrices of this order and yields a motivation to introduce the larger sets of k-unistochastic matrices.
We study the problem of accessibility in a set of classical and quantum channels admitting a group structure. Group properties of the set of channels, and the structure of the closure of the analyzed group [Formula: see text] plays a pivotal role in this regard. The set of all convex combinations of the group elements contains a subset of channels that are accessible by a dynamical semigroup. We demonstrate that accessible channels are determined by probability vectors of weights of a convex combination of the group elements, which depend neither on the dimension of the space on which the channels act, nor on the specific representation of the group. Investigating geometric properties of the set [Formula: see text] of accessible maps we show that this set is nonconvex, but it enjoys the star-shape property with respect to the uniform mixture of all elements of the group. We demonstrate that the set [Formula: see text] covers a positive volume in the polytope of all convex combinations of the elements of the group.
We investigate the emergence of non-Markovian dynamics in finite-dimensional open quantum systems governed by Weyl dynamical maps and their convex combinations. Using the Hermite normal form, we provide a complete classification of the subgroups of the discrete phase space Zd×Zd, establishing the algebraic framework underlying the Weyl maps. We characterize isotropic Weyl dynamical maps that generate Markovian semigroups and show that anisotropic Weyl maps with nonuniform weight distributions cannot possess the semigroup property. Furthermore, we analyze the role of convexity in the generation and suppression of memory effects. Remarkably, we prove that convex combinations of eternally non-Markovian Weyl dephasing maps can generate Markovian semigroups, demonstrating that non-Markovianity is not additive under mixing. Conversely, we establish a general condition under which convex mixtures of N distinct Weyl semigroups exhibit eternal non-Markovianity. In contrast to the qubit Pauli setting, we further identify the existence of irreducible eternally non-Markovian Weyl dephasing maps, namely, individual dynamical maps that display eternal memory effects without requiring any mixing mechanism. Finally, explicit qutrit examples illustrate the transition among Markovian, non-Markovian and eternally non-Markovian regimes. Our results uncover a fundamental connection among finite phase-space algebra, convex structures, and quantum memory effects, thereby extending the theory of non-Markovian dynamics beyond the Pauli framework.
Quantum devices are subject to natural decay. We propose to study these decay processes as the Markovian evolution of quantum channels, which leads us to dynamical semigroups of superchannels. A superchannel is a linear map that maps quantum channels to quantum channels while satisfying suitable consistency relations. If the input and output quantum channels act on the same space, then we can consider dynamical semigroups of superchannels. No useful constructive characterization of the generators of such semigroups is known. We characterize these generators in two ways: First, we give an efficiently checkable criterion for whether a given map generates a dynamical semigroup of superchannels. Second, we identify a normal form for the generators of semigroups of quantum superchannels, analogous to the Gorini-Kossakowski-Lindblad-Sudarshan form in the case of quantum channels. To derive the normal form, we exploit the relation between superchannels and semicausal completely positive maps, reducing the problem to finding a normal form for the generators of semigroups of semicausal completely positive maps. We derive a normal for these generators using a novel technique, which applies also to infinite-dimensional systems. Our work paves the way for a thorough investigation of semigroups of superchannels: Numerical studies become feasible because admissible generators can now be explicitly generated and checked. Analytic properties of the corresponding evolution equations are now accessible via our normal form.
It is established that both discrete and continuous semigroups of unital quantum channels are eventually mixed unitary. This result is novel even for the subclass of Schur maps and stands in sharp contrast to the resolution of the asymptotic quantum Birkhoff conjecture by Haagerup and Musat, who demonstrated that tensor powers of some unital quantum channels maintain a persistent positive distance from the set of mixed unitary channels. Remarkably, our results show that this gap vanishes in finite time when considering ordinary powers within a semigroup. Building on this, we define the mixed unitary index of a unital quantum channel as the minimum time (or power) beyond which all subsequent maps become mixed unitary. We demonstrate that for any fixed dimension d≥3, there is no universal upper bound for this index. Furthermore, we observe that if a continuous semigroup is not mixed unitary at some t>0, it remains non-mixed unitary for all t sufficiently close to the origin. Finally, we investigate quantum dynamical semigroups where mixed unitarity is restricted to specific families, such as Weyl or diagonal unitaries. We show that Schur semigroups of correlation matrices eventually become mixtures of rank-one correlation matrices, and we characterize the generators of Schur semigroups that remain within this set for all t≥0.
A class of quantum resource theories, based on non-convex star-shape sets, presented in this work captures the key quantum properties that cannot be studied by standard convex theories. We provide operational interpretations for a resource of this class and demonstrate its advantage to improve performance of correlated quantum discrimination tasks and testing of quantum combs. Proposed techniques provide useful tools to describe quantum discord, total correlations in composite quantum systems and to estimate the degree of non-Markovianity of an analyzed quantum dynamics. Other applications include the problem of unistochasticity of a given bistochastic matrix, with relevance for quantization of classical dynamics and studies of violation of CP-symmetry in high energy physics. In all these cases, the non-linear witnesses introduced here outperform the standard linear witnesses. Importance of our findings for quantum information theory is also emphasized.
In recent times, there has been a growing scholarly focus on investigating the intricacies of quantum channel mixing. It has been commonly believed, based on intuition in the literature, that every generalized Pauli channel with dimensionality d could be represented as a convex combination of (d+1) generalized Pauli dephasing channels (see [Phys. Rev. A 103, 022605 (2021)] as a reference). To our surprise, our findings indicate the inaccuracy of this intuitive perspective. This has stimulated our interest in exploring the properties of convex combinations of generalized Pauli channels, beyond the restriction to just (d+1) generalized Pauli dephasing channels. We demonstrate that many previously established properties still hold within this broader context. For instance, any mixture of invertible generalized Pauli channels retains its invertibility. It's worth noting that this property doesn't hold when considering the Weyl channels setting. Additionally, we demonstrate that every Pauli channel (for the case of d=2) can be represented as a mixture of (d+1) Pauli dephasing channels, but this generalization doesn't apply to higher dimensions. This highlights a fundamental distinction between qubit and general qudit cases. In contrast to prior understanding, we show that non-invertibility of mixed channels is not a prerequisite for the resulting mapping to constitute a Markovian semigroup.