Detector-Conditioned Quantum Speed Limits for Open Systems
Roy Surya Sekhar
Abstract
Existing quantum speed limits (QSLs) for dissipative dynamics generally require integrating the full state trajectory, limiting their predictive utility before simulation. We introduce a detector-conditioned framework to overcome this requirement. By projecting the adjoint Lindblad dissipator onto a target detector $\Pi_\omega$ and taking its operator norm, we obtain a single static number---the \emph{dissipative transition capacity} $\Gamma_\omega$---that caps the fidelity decay rate for any initial state, without requiring prior ODE integration. We demonstrate that within the specified class of trajectory-independent detector-conditioned bounds, $\Gamma_\omega$ provides a natural functional driven by spatial locality, provide algebraic saturation conditions, and delineate regimes where it provides tighter constraints than standard trajectory-dependent trace-norm bounds. An extensive many-body scaling law ($\Gamma \le N\gamma$ for local baths) and subadditivity across orthogonal detectors follow from the triangle inequality, demonstrating an exponential $\mathcal{O}(2^N)$ separation from global geometric trajectory bounds under stated locality assumptions. We provide an operational interpretation in binary state discrimination and quantum error correction, and demonstrate a matrix-free runtime scaling advantage over differential equation integration.