Abstract There are certain dynamics while being non-Markovian, do never exhibit information backflow. We show that if two such dynamical maps are considered in a scenario where the order of application of these two dynamical maps are not definite, the effective channel can manifest information backflow. In particular, we use quantum SWITCH to activate such a channel. In contrast, activation of those channels are not possible even if one uses many copies of such channels in series or in parallel action. We then investigate the dynamics behind the quantum SWITCH experiment and find out that after the action of quantum SWITCH both the CP (Complete Positive)- divisiblity and P (Positive)- divisibility of the channel breaks down, along with the activation of information backflow. Our study elucidate the advantage of quantum SWITCH by investigating its dynamical behaviour.
Abstract There are certain dynamics while being non-Markovian, do never exhibit information backflow. We show that if two such dynamical maps are considered in a scenario where the order of application of these two dynamical maps are not definite, the effective channel can manifest information backflow. In particular, we use quantum SWITCH to activate such a channel. In contrast, activation of those channels are not possible even if one uses many copies of such channels in series or in parallel action. We then investigate the dynamics behind the quantum SWITCH experiment and find out that after the action of quantum SWITCH both the CP (Complete Positive)- divisiblity and P (Positive)- divisibility of the channel breaks down, along with the activation of information backflow. Our study elucidate the advantage of quantum SWITCH by investigating its dynamical behaviour.
Quantum compositions of channels can grant advantages over classical compositions in quantum information processing or thermodynamical tasks. One of such quantum composition is one with indefinite causal order, where multiple quantum channels are placed in a superposition of different causal or operation orders. The advantages of indefinite causal order were demonstrated in an experimentally realizable setup known as the quantum switch and were often attributed to this new quantum resource of indefinite causality, but some doubts and disagreements still remains as compositions without indefinite causal order can achieve the same advantages. In this work, we proposed that the quantum switch's uniqueness lies in its ability to exhibit coherent non-Markovianity, where memory effects acts across different paths of superposition. We showed that the quantum switch violates completely positive or CP-divisibility and thus has intrinsic non-Markovianity in its evolution, which allows for non-Markovian backflow of information from the environment. This backflow of information can then play a role in the many advantages seen in the quantum switch, and by extending the quantum switch operation such that the non-Markovianity is controllable, we showed that these advantages depend on the presence and amount of non-Markovianity, achieving the quantum switch case when the system is fully non-Markovian. Particularly, we demonstrated this for the quantum switch's advantages in communication capacities, work extraction via daemonic ergotropy, and refrigeration via heat extraction. Other quantum compositions that are often compared to indefinite causal order, such as the superposition of independent channels and superposition of trajectories, are also captured by this extended construction of the quantum switch, and we showed that their difference with the quantum switch lies in the presence or absence of non-Markovianity. Our work suggests that non-Markovianity is an important recipe for the quantum switch or indefinite causal order, and is a nonnegligible factor for its advantages.
Indefinite causal order extends quantum information processing beyond fixed causal structures, with the quantum SWITCH serving as its canonical realization. By coherently superposing different orders of quantum channels, the quantum SWITCH has been shown to provide operational advantages in communication, computation, metrology, and related tasks. Despite these advances, the physical resources responsible for these advantages remains unclear. Recent studies have further revealed that the quantum SWITCH can generate memory effects, manifested as non-Markovian information backflow. In this work, we examine the origin of such memory and determine whether they reflect genuine (quantum) non-Markovianity or instead arises from classical origin. To this end, we analyze two representative scenarios: one based on discrete-time evolution and another formulated through dynamical maps in open quantum systems. We show that the memory effects generated by the quantum SWITCH are not genuinely quantum non-Markovian, thereby prompting a re-examination of the source of quantum advantage in indefinite causal order frameworks.
We prove the equivalence between two approaches to the characterisation of quantum Markovianity, divisibility and lack of information backflow. We show that a dynamical map is completely-positive-divisible if and only if a monotonic non-increase of distinguishability is observed for two equiprobable states of the evolving system and an ancilla. Moreover our proof is constructive for invertible dynamical maps: given any such a map that is not completely-positive-divisible, we give an explicit construction of two states that exhibit information backflow. Finally, while an ancilla is necessary for the equivalence to hold in general, we show that it is always possible to witness the non-Markovianity of maps without using any entanglement between system and ancilla.
We analyze the relation between completely positive (CP) divisibility and the lack of information backflow for an arbitrary-not necessarily invertible-dynamical map. It is well known that CP divisibility always implies a lack of information backflow. Moreover, these two notions are equivalent for invertible maps. In this Letter, it is shown that for a map which is not invertible the lack of information backflow always implies the existence of a completely positive propagator which, however, needs not be trace preserving. Interestingly, for a wide class of image nonincreasing dynamical maps, this propagator becomes trace preserving as well, and hence, the lack of information backflow implies CP divisibility. This result sheds new light into the structure of the time-local generators giving rise to CP-divisible evolutions. We show that if the map is not invertible then positivity of dissipation/decoherence rates is no longer necessary for CP divisibility.
We investigate the relation between two approaches to the characterisation of quantum Markovianity, divisibility and lack of information backflow. We show that a bijective dynamical map is completely-positive-divisible if and only if a monotonic non-increase of distinguishability is observed for two equiprobable states of the evolving system and an ancilla. Moreover our proof is constructive: given any such map that is not completely-positive-divisible, we give an explicit construction of two states that, when taken with the same a priori probability, exhibit information back-flow. Finally, while an ancilla is necessary for the equivalence to hold in general, we show that it is always possible to witness the non-Markovianity of bijective maps without using any entanglement between system and ancilla.
We investigate the relation between two approaches to the characterization of quantum Markovianity, divisibility and lack of information backflow. We show that a bijective dynamical map is completely positive divisible if and only if a monotonic nonincrease of distinguishability is observed for two equiprobable states of the evolving system and an ancilla. Moreover, our proof is constructive: given any such map that is not completely positive divisible, we give an explicit construction of two states that, when taken with the same a priori probability, exhibit information backflow. Finally, while an ancilla is necessary for the equivalence to hold in general, we show that it is always possible to witness the non-Markovianity of bijective maps without using any entanglement between the system and ancilla.