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arXiv:2605.04112

Emergent Quantum Dynamics as a Bayesian Inference Problem: A Critical Analysis

Thales B. S. F. Rodrigues, Lucas L. Brugger, Vinicius G. Valle, Bruno F. Rizzuti, Cristhiano Duarte

quant-phSubmitted May 5, 2026• Announced May 6, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

Coarse-grained descriptions can be used to account for physical processes in which information is lost or not entirely accessible. In this paper, we start by proposing a connection between effective, coarse-grained descriptions of quantum dynamics and the quantum conditional states formalism. In doing so, we address necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of emergent dynamics from a subjective Bayesian point of view. Although our solution is (quasi-)optimal, the dynamics it determines are shown to be analytically limited -- it solves the problem in a state-by-state case. Due to this limitation, we then implement semidefinite programming techniques to investigate the existence of effective dynamics in four paradigmatic scenarios. The existence of such an effective dynamics motivates the introduction of a new robustness measure that quantifies how much noise can be added to a microscopic dynamics without compromising its compatibility with a given coarse-grained description. Finally, we also show how one can analytically determine a valid emergent description in several examples.

Comments: 40 pages, 32 figures

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The purpose of physics is to describe nature from elementary particles all the way up to cosmological objects like cluster of galaxies and black holes. Although a unified description for all this spectrum of events is desirable, this would be highly impractical. To not get lost in unnecessary details, effective descriptions are mandatory. Here we analyze the dynamics that may emerge from a full quantum description when one does not have access to all the degrees of freedom of a system. More concretely, we describe the properties of the dynamics that arise from quantum mechanics if one has access only to a coarse-grained description of the system. We obtain that the effective maps are not necessarily of Kraus form, due to correlations between accessible and nonaccessible degrees of freedom, and that the distance between two effective states may increase under the action of the effective map. We expect our framework to be useful for addressing questions such as the thermalization of closed quantum systems, as well as the description of measurements in quantum mechanics.

Physics dares to describe Nature from elementary particles all the way up to cosmological objects like cluster of galaxies and black holes. Although a unified description for all this spectrum of events is desirable, an one-theory-fits-all would be highly impractical. To not get lost in unnecessary details, effective descriptions are mandatory. Here we analyze what are the dynamics that may emerge from a fully quantum description when one does not have access to all the degrees of freedom of a system. More concretely, we describe the properties of the dynamics that arise from Quantum Mechanics if one has only access to a coarse grained description of the system. We obtain that the effective channels are not necessarily of Kraus form, due to correlations between accessible and non-accessible degrees of freedom, and that the distance between two effective states may increase under the action of the effective channel. We expect our framework to be useful for addressing questions such as the thermalization of closed quantum systems, and the description of measurements in quantum mechanics.

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