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Open Systems & Information Dynamics

Density Matrices and Their Time Evolution

Erwin Brüning, Francesco Petruccione

Published Jun 1, 2008• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Already in the case of finite dimensional Hilbert spaces [Formula: see text] the general form of density matrices ρ is not known. The main reason for this lack of knowledge is the nonlinear constraint for these matrices. We propose a representation of density matrices on finite dimensional Hilbert spaces in terms of finitely many independent parameters. For dimensions 2, 3, and 4 we write down this representation explicitly. As a further application of this representation we study the time dependence of density matrices ρ(t) which in our case is implemented through time dependence of the independent parameters. Under obvious differentiability assumptions the explicit form of [Formula: see text] is determined. As a special case we recover, for instance, the Lindblad form.

DOI
10.1142/s1230161208000109

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Already in the case of finite dimensional Hilbert spaces [Formula: see text] the general form of density matrices ρ is not known. The main reason for this lack of knowledge is the nonlinear constraint for these matrices. We propose a representation of density matrices on finite dimensional Hilbert spaces in terms of finitely many independent parameters. For dimensions 2, 3, and 4 we write down this representation explicitly. As a further application of this representation we study the time dependence of density matrices ρ(t) which in our case is implemented through time dependence of the independent parameters. Under obvious differentiability assumptions the explicit form of [Formula: see text] is determined. As a special case we recover, for instance, the Lindblad form.
A possible method of classifying all density matrices for a N-state quantum system into different types, using the sameness of the characteristic polynomial of density matrices belonging to a given type, is discussed. The method employs the SU(N) generator expansion of density matrices. It is demonstrated that density matrices belonging to a given type, although different, share many common properties including the same eigenvalues, the same shape of the region in the parametric space in which lie the allowed parameter values, and the same global averages of the pertinent observables. Furthermore, we discuss the time evolution of a given type of density matrices and show that, in the appropriately defined time-dependent comoving matrix basis, a density matrix of a given type belongs, during entire unitary evolution, to the same type. In this way one is able to group and organize the multitude of different density matrices with certain analogous properties, into a smaller number of types, thus systematizing and cataloguing different mixed and pure states of a N-state system. The general discussion is illustrated throughout with the special case of a N=4-state quantum system. Two- and three-dimensional cross sections of the space of generalized Bloch vectors are determined by the Monte Carlo sampling method for several types of density matrices, providing some insight into the intricate and complex geometric structure of the space of density matrices.
General physical background of famous Peres-Horodecki positive partial transpose (PH- or PPT-) separability criterion is revealed. Especially, the physical sense of partial transpose operation is shown to be equivalent to what one could call as the "local causality reversal" (LCR-) procedure for all separable quantum systems or to the uncertainty in a global time arrow direction in all entangled cases. Using these universal causal considerations brand new general relations for the heuristic causal separability criterion have been proposed for arbitrary [Formula: see text] density matrices acting in [Formula: see text] Hilbert spaces which describe the ensembles of N quantum systems of D eigenstates each. Resulting general formulas have been then analyzed for the widest special type of one-parametric density matrices of arbitrary dimensionality, which model a number of equivalent quantum subsystems being equally connected (EC-) with each other to arbitrary degree by means of a single entanglement parameter p. In particular, for the family of such EC-density matrices it has been found that there exists a number of N- and D-dependent separability (or entanglement) thresholds [Formula: see text] for the values of the corresponded entanglement parameter p, which in the simplest case of a qubit-pair density matrix in [Formula: see text] Hilbert space are shown to reduce to well-known results obtained earlier independently by Peres (Phys Rev Lett 77:1413-1415, 1996) and Horodecki (Phys Lett A 223(1-2):1-8, 1996). As the result, a number of remarkable features of the entanglement thresholds for EC-density matrices has been described for the first time. All novel results being obtained for the family of arbitrary EC-density matrices are shown to be applicable to a wide range of both interacting and non-interacting (at the moment of measurement) multi-partite quantum systems, such as arrays of qubits, spin chains, ensembles of quantum oscillators, strongly correlated quantum many-body systems with the possibility of many-body localization, etc.
The density equation proposed previously for the direct determination of the density matrix, i.e. for the wave mechanics without wave, is extended to a time- dependent case. The time-dependent density equation has been shown to be equivalent to the time-dependent Schrodinger equation so long as the density matrix, included as a self-contained variable, is N-representable. Formally, it is obtainable from the previous time- independent equation by replacing the energy E with ih @ @t . The perturbation theory formulas for the density equation have also been given for both the time- dependent and time-independent cases.
Explicit separability of general two qubits density matrices is related to Lorentz transformations. We use the 4-dimensional form [Formula: see text] of the Hilbert–Schmidt (HS) decomposition of the density matrix. For the generic case, in which Lorentz transformations diagonalize [Formula: see text] into [Formula: see text], we give relations between the [Formula: see text] and the [Formula: see text]. In particular, we consider two cases: (a) Two qubits density matrices with one pair of linear terms in the HS decomposition. (b) Two qubits density matrices with two or three symmetric pairs of linear terms. Some of the theoretical results are demonstrated by numerical calculations. The four non-generic cases (which may be reduced to case (a) are analyzed and the non-generic property is related explicitly to Lorentz velocity [Formula: see text] which is not reachable physically.
We show that any arbitrary time-dependent density operator of an open system can always be described in terms of an operator-sum representation (Kraus representation) regardless of its initial condition and the path of its evolution in the state space, and we provide a general expression of Kraus operators for arbitrary time-dependent density operator of an NNN-dimensional system. Moreover, applications of our result are illustrated through several examples.