Irreducibility and regularisation properties of Gaussian quantum Markov semigroups

Abstract

We study regularisation and irreducibility properties of Gaussian quantum Markov semigroups (GQMSs) acting on continuous-variable quantum systems. We first identify a natural notion of regularity for operators in this setting, which allows us to formulate and characterise the smoothing effects of GQMSs in terms of algebraic conditions involving the drift and quantum diffusion matrices. These conditions establish a connection with the controllability theory of quantum linear systems and with the structure of decoherence-free subsystems. We then characterise irreducibility through several equivalent algebraic criteria: one formulated in terms of the drift and quantum diffusion matrices, one in terms of the operators appearing in the generalised GKLS representation of the generator, and a third given by a quantum analogue of Hörmander's condition. A central and somewhat surprising consequence is that, in contrast with the classical case, irreducibility is strictly stronger than conditions ensuring regularisation. Our results provide an algebraic framework for analysing these properties and lay the groundwork for a broader study of reducible Gaussian quantum Markov semigroups and, more generally, more general relevant quantum Markov semigroups on continuous-variable systems.