Open Quantum Systems PS4

Open Quantum Systems 2023/2024
Problem Sheet 4
(Deadline for Moodle Submission: 18:00, Tuesday 21.11.2023)
General hints: Recall that the complete positivity of a map Λ : L(CN ) → L(CN ) is equivalently
assessed via the so-called Choi matrix : given an orthonormal basis {|ui ⟩}i=1,...N of CN and constructed
the maximally entangled state in CN ⊗ CN
N
1 X
|Φ⟩ = √ |ui ⟩ ⊗ |ui ⟩ , (1)
N i=1
the linear map Λ is completely positive (CP) if and only if
RΛ = (I ⊗ Λ) (|Φ⟩⟨Φ|) ≥ 0. (2)
RΛ is known as the Choi state, and it can be equivalently expressed as

 
Λ(|u1 ⟩⟨u1 |) . . . Λ(|u1 ⟩⟨uN |)
1  .. .. ..
RΛ = . (3)

N
 . . .
Λ(|uN ⟩⟨u1 |) . . . Λ(|uN ⟩⟨uN |)
Instead, there is no a priori criterion to decide positivity. You’ll just have to impose that Λ(|ψ⟩⟨ψ|) ≥ 0
for all pure states |ψ⟩, and see whether you can work with that...
Exercise 12 (Completely positive maps in open quantum systems [40p]). In general, the maps which
are used to describe the transformations of a quantum system are requested to be not only positive,
but CP. A linear map Λ is CP when the map Λ ⊗ 1, defined via
Λ ⊗ 1n : L(CN ⊗ Cn ) 7→ L(CN ⊗ Cn )
X ⊗Y 7→ Λ(X) ⊗ Y, (4)
and extended by linearity, is a positive map for any value of1 n. From a mathematical point of
view, the importance of CP maps traces back to their general and powerful characterization, which
is provided, e.g., by the Kraus decomposition: a linear map Λ : L(CN ) 7→ L(CN ) is CP and trace
preserving (CPTP) if and only if there is a family of linear operators Kα ∈ L(CN ) such that
d
∀X ∈ L(CN )
X
Λ(X) = Kα XKα† d ≤ N 2, (5)
α=1
where
d
Kα† Kα = 1.
X
(6)
α=1
(a) Prove the ‘if’ part of the Kraus Theorem.2

(b) Is the Kraus decomposition of a given CPTP map unique? Show it explicitly.
1 Actually, one can show that if Λ ⊗ I is positive for any n ≤ N , then it so for any value of n; moreover, the definition
n
can be extended to infinite dimensional Hilbert spaces, dealing with the proper operator spaces.
2 The ‘only if’ part can be found in a reference which will be given in class.
1
In the description of the dynamics of open quantum systems, the use of CPTP maps traces back
to the following basic observation. We know that given an open system S and an environment E, and
assuming the global system SE as closed, the state of the open system at time t is given by
ρS (t) = trE U (t)ρSE (0)U † (t) ,

(7)
where ρSE (0) is the global initial state and U (t) is the global unitary evolution operator.
Now, if the initial global state has no correlations and the initial state of the environment is fixed3 ,
ρSE (0) = ρS (0) ⊗ ρE (0), (8)
one can define at any time t a reduced map
Λ(t) : L(CN ) 7→ L(CN ), (9)
which acts on the set of states of the open system only, mapping any initial state of the open system,
ρS (0), into the corresponding state at time t, ρS (t); moreover, such a map is CPTP. This is because
appending ancillary system (i.e. tensor products), letting the global system SE evolve freely (i.e. ap-
plying unitaries), and discarding subsystems (i.e. performing partial traces) are all CPTP operations,
and the composition of CPTP operations is CPTP.
The complete positivity of the maps describing the dynamics of an open quantum system is not
only a formal mathematical requirement, but it has relevant physical consequences. As an example,
consider the map defined by
1
ρ00 ρ01 (ρ00 (1 + A) + ρ11 (1 − A)) Bρ01
Λ:ρ= 7−→ Λ(ρ) = 2
1 (10)
ρ10 ρ11 Bρ10 2 (ρ11 (1 + A) + ρ00 (1 − A))
with A, B ∈ R.
(c) Discuss for which values of A and B the map is positive and for which values it is CP. Imagine
now that A and B are two functions of time, describing exponential decays, A = e−λt and
′
B = e−λ t ; which relation among λ and λ′ is implied by the CP-ness of the map, but not by its
positivity?
Exercise 13 (Generalized depolarizing maps [60p]). For a real parameter λ, consider the following
generalized depolarizing map ∆λ acting on L(CN ):
1
∆λ (X) = λX + (1 − λ) Tr X, ∀ X ∈ L(CN ) . (11)
N
(a) For which values of λ is ∆λ positive? And completely positive?

(Hint: for positivity, remember that 1 + Y can be easily diagonalized once the spectral structure
of Y is known)
Another interesting family of quantum maps is that of Werner–Holevo maps. For real η, these are
defined by
1
Wη (X) = ηX ⊺ + (1 − η) Tr X, ∀ X ∈ L(CN ) , (12)
N
where X ⊺ is the transpose of X in a fixed basis (for example, the computational basis).
(b) For which values of η is Wη positive? And completely positive?

⊺
(Hint: when studying positivity, remember that for every pure |ψ⟩ it holds that |ψ⟩⟨ψ| =
∗ ∗
|ψ ⟩⟨ψ | is again pure; here, ∗ denotes complex conjugation in the basis where one takes the
transpose.)
3 This means that for any initial state of the system ρ (0), we consider always the same initial state of the environment
S
ρE (0); but we are not assuming that the state of the environment will not change during the evolution.

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Open Quantum Systems 2023/2024

the linear map Λ is completely positive (CP) if and only if

RΛ is known as the Choi state, and it can be equivalently expressed as

(a) Prove the ‘if’ part of the Kraus Theorem.2

ρS (t) = trE U (t)ρSE (0)U † (t) ,

ρSE (0) = ρS (0) ⊗ ρE (0), (8)

one can define at any time t a reduced map

Λ(t) : L(CN ) 7→ L(CN ), (9)

(a) For which values of λ is ∆λ positive? And completely positive?

(b) For which values of η is Wη positive? And completely positive?

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