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Physical Review A

Markov approximations encounter map domains: A hazard of open quantum dynamics

Thomas F. Jordan, Anil Shaji, E. C. G. Sudarshan

Published Mar 13, 2008• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A Markov approximation in open quantum dynamics can give unphysical results when a map acts on a state that is not in its domain. This is examined here in a simple example, an open quantum dynamics for one qubit in a system of two interacting qubits, for which the map domains have been described quite completely. A time interval is split into two parts and the map from the exact dynamics for the entire interval is replaced by the conjunction of that same map for both parts. If there is any correlation between the two qubits, unphysical results can appear as soon as the map conjunction is used, even for infinitesimal times. If the map is repeated an unlimited number of times, every state is at risk of being taken outside the bounds of physical meaning. Treatment by slippage of initial conditions is discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.77.032104

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A Markov approximation in open quantum dynamics can give unphysical results when a map acts on a state that is not in its domain. This is examined here in a simple example, an open quantum dynamics for one qubit in a system of two interacting qubits, for which the map domains have been described quite completely. A time interval is split into two parts and the map from the exact dynamics for the entire interval is replaced by the conjunction of that same map for both parts. If there is any correlation between the two qubits, unphysical results can appear as soon as the map conjunction is used, even for infinitesimal times. If the map is repeated an unlimited number of times, every state is at risk of being taken outside the bounds of physical meaning. Treatment by slippage of initial conditions is discussed.
A Markov approximation in open quantum dynamics can give unphysical results when a map acts on a state that is not in its domain. This is examined here in a simple example, an open quantum dynamics for one qubit in a system of two interacting qubits, for which the map domains have been described quite completely. A time interval is split into two parts and the map from the exact dynamics for the entire interval is replaced by the conjunction of that same map for both parts. If there is any correlation between the two qubits, unphysical results can appear as soon as the map conjunction is used, even for infinitesimal times. If the map is repeated an unlimited number of times, every state is at risk of being taken outside the bounds of physical meaning. Treatment by slippage of initial conditions is discussed.
Open quantum systems are often encountered in many different physical situations. From quantum optics to statistical mechanics, they are fundamental in the understanding of a great variety of different phenomena. Some of the most common examples are the relaxation to equilibrium, the existence of nonequilibrium stationary states, and the dynamics of atoms in interaction with electromagnetic fields. A crucial step in the analysis is to consider the quantum open system and its environment as the two mutually interacting components of a larger isolated system. Thereafter, the so‐called Markov approximation is often considered, which consists on assuming that the time scales associated to the dynamics of the quantum open system are larger than those of the environment. It is the interplay of the different time scales associated with the system and the environment what determines the validity of the different approximations made. In this paper we will discuss the dynamics of a open quantum system in contact with a reservoir when the Markov approximation is not valid, and we have to include some non‐Markovian or memory effects.
We study the role of correlations with the environment as the source of non-Markovian quantum evolutions. We first focus on the impact that correlations with the environment can have on the dynamical map that evolve the system. We expand the set of initial states of a system and its environment that are known to guarantee completely positive reduced dynamics for the system when the combined state evolves unitarily. We characterize the correlations in the initial state in terms of its quantum discord. The induced maps can be not completely positive when quantum correlations including, but not limited to, entanglement are present. We discuss the implications and limitations of the Markov approximation necessary to derive the Kossakowski-Lindblad master equation. A generalized non-Markovian master equation is derived from the dynamical map of systems correlated with their environment. The physical meaning of not completely positive maps is studied to obtain a consistent theory of non-Markovian quantum dynamics. These are associated to inverse maps necessary to establish correlations and they give rise to a canonical embedding map that is local in time. This master equation goes beyond the Kossakowski-Lindblad master equation. Non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics can be be studied within this theory. Through out this discussion, the general dynamics of two interacting qubits is used as an example for illustrations.
A universal definition of non-Markovianity for open systems dynamics is proposed. It is extended from the classical definition to the quantum realm by showing that a `transition' from the Markov to the non-Markov regime occurs when the correlations between the system and the environment, generated by their joint evolution, can no longer be neglected. The suggested definition is based on the comparison between measured correlation functions and those built by assuming that the system is in a Markov regime thus giving a figure of merit of the error coming from this assumption. It is shown that the knowledge of the dynamical map and initial condition of the system is not enough to fully characterise the non-Markovian dynamics of the reduced system. The example of three exactly solvable models, i.e. decoherence and spontaneous emission of the qubit in a bosonic bath and decoherence of the photon's polarization induced by interaction with its spacial degrees of freedom, reveals that previously proposed Markovianity criteria and measures which are based on dynamical map analysis fail to recognise non-Markov behaviour.
It is known that the dynamical evolution of a system, from an initial tensor product state of system and environment, to any two later times, t1, t2 (t2 > t1), are both completely positive (CP) but in the intermediate times between t1 and t2 it need not be CP. This reveals the key to the Markov (if CP) and non Markov (if it is not CP) avataras of the intermediate dynamics. This is brought out here in terms of the quantum stochastic map A and the associated dynamical map B—without resorting to master equation approaches. We investigate these features with four examples which have entirely different physical origins: 1) A two qubit Werner state map with time dependent noise parameter; 2) Phenomenological model of a recent optical experiment (Nature Physics, 7, 931 (2011)) on the open system evolution of photon polarization; 3) Hamiltonian dynamics of a qubit coupled to a bath of N qubits; 4) Two qubit unitary dynamics of Jordan et al. (Phys. Rev. A 70, 052110 (2004) with initial product states of qubits. In all these models, it is shown that the positivity/negativity of the eigenvalues of intermediate time dynamical B map determines the Markov/non-Markov nature of the dynamics.
Nonpositive Markov approximations are sometimes used to describe the dynamics of qubits in weak interaction with suitable environments; the appearance of negative probabilities is avoided by assuming that the transient regime eliminates from the possible initial conditions those qubit states which would otherwise be mapped out of the Bloch sphere by the subsequent Markovian time evolution. By means of a simple model, we discuss some physical inconsistencies of this approach in relation to entanglement; in particular, we show that slipped nonpositive reduced dynamics might create entanglement through a purely local action.