We introduce map-dependent quantum characteristic functions constructed from the normalized Choi operator of quantum dynamical maps. We prove a Bochner--Choi positivity theorem establishing that the positive-type condition of the associated Gram matrix is equivalent to complete positivity of the underlying quantum channel. Applying the construction to intermediate dynamical maps, we obtain a characterization of CP-divisibility in terms of positivity of two-time characteristic functions. Numerical examples for amplitude damping and pure dephasing models demonstrate that negativity of the Gram matrix coincides with the breakdown of CP-divisibility and the emergence of information backflow. The proposed framework provides a new bridge between characteristic-function methods in quantum statistics and structural properties of quantum dynamical maps.
We introduce map-dependent quantum characteristic functions constructed from the normalized Choi operator of quantum dynamical maps. We prove a Bochner--Choi positivity theorem establishing that the positive-type condition of the associated Gram matrix is equivalent to complete positivity of the underlying quantum channel. Applying the construction to intermediate dynamical maps, we obtain a characterization of CP-divisibility in terms of positivity of two-time characteristic functions. Numerical examples for amplitude damping and pure dephasing models demonstrate that negativity of the Gram matrix coincides with the breakdown of CP-divisibility and the emergence of information backflow. The proposed framework provides a new bridge between characteristic-function methods in quantum statistics and structural properties of quantum dynamical maps.
We introduce a method to construct non-Markovian variants of completely positive (CP) dynamical maps, particularly, qubit Pauli channels. We identify non-Markovianity with the breakdown in CP divisibility of the map, i.e., appearance of a not-completely positive intermediate map. In particular, we consider the case of non-Markovian dephasing in detail. The eigenvalues of the Choi matrix of the intermediate map crossover at a point which corresponds to a singularity in the canonical decoherence rate of the corresponding master equation and thus to a momentary noninvertibility of the map. Thereafter, the rate becomes negative, indicating non-Markovianity. We quantify the non-Markovianity by two methods, one based on CP divisibility [Hall et al., Phys. Rev. A 89, 042120 (2014)], which does not require optimization but requires normalization to handle the singularity, and another method, based on distinguishability [Breuer et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 210401 (2009)], which requires optimization but is insensitive to the singularity.
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.
The are several nonequivalent notions of Markovian quantum evolution. In this paper we show that the one based on the so-called CP divisibility of the corresponding dynamical map enjoys the following stability property: the dynamical map ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$ is CP divisible if and only if the second tensor power ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$ is CP divisible as well. Moreover, the P divisibility of the map ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$ is equivalent to the CP divisibility of the map ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$. Interestingly, the latter property is no longer true if we replace the P divisibility of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$ by simple positivity and the CP divisibility of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$ by complete positivity. That is, unlike when ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$ has a time-independent generator, positivity of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}\ensuremath{\bigotimes}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$ does not imply complete positivity of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{t}$.
We study divisibility of finite-dimensional quantum dynamics in the Heisenberg picture when the dynamical maps need not be invertible. Heisenberg divisible dynamics determines unique reduced propagators on the accessible operator systems, and Heisenberg CP-divisibility is shown to be equivalent to an operator-norm monotonicity. Although each reduced propagator admits a unital completely positive extension, independently chosen extensions need not satisfy a composition law. Generalized inverses restore this law algebraically, but do not, in general, preserve complete positivity. We characterize the resulting obstruction and give a sufficient construction based on unital completely positive projections onto the accessible operator systems. It is shown that for qubit dynamics Heisenberg CP-divisibility always guarantees a completely positive generalized-inverse propagator. Finally, we analyze time-local generators at singular times and identify the associated gauge freedom on dynamically inaccessible directions.
We analyze the divisibility properties of generalized Pauli dynamical maps. Using the results for image non-increasing dynamical maps, we formulate the conditions for the underlying evolution to satisfy specific non-Markovianity criteria. For the qubit evolution, we find the necessary and sufficient conditions for P and CP-divisibility of the associated, in general noninvertible, Pauli dynamical maps. Finally, we analyze the divisibility degree for mixtures of noninvertible phase-damping channels. For P-divisible maps, we propose a legitimate time-local generator with all temporarily infinite decoherence rates.
We introduce a necessary and sufficient criterion for the non-Markovianity of Gaussian quantum dynamical maps based on the violation of divisibility. The criterion is derived by defining a general vectorial representation of the covariance matrix which is then exploited to determine the condition for the complete positivity of partial maps associated with arbitrary time intervals. Such construction does not rely on the Choi-Jamiolkowski representation and does not require optimization over states.