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We characterize a class of superclassical non-Markovian open quantum system dynamics that are defined by their lack of measurement invasiveness when the corresponding observable commutates with the pre-measurement state. This diagonal non-invasiveness guarantees that joint probabilities for measurement outcomes fulfill classical Kolmogorov consistency conditions. These features are fulfilled regardless of the previous (measurement) system history and are valid at arbitrary later times after an arbitrary system initialization. It is shown that a subclass of depolarizing dynamics, which are based on a (time-irreversible) non-unitary system-environment coupling, satisfy the required properties. The relationship with other operational [Milz et al., Phys. Rev. X 10, 041049 (2020)] and non-operational [Banacki et al., Phys. Rev. A 107, 032202 (2023)] notions of classicality in non-Markovian open quantum systems is studied in detail and exemplified through different examples., Comment: 11 pages

In this paper we demonstrate that any Markovian master equation defining a completely positive evolution for a quantum-classical hybrid state can always be written in terms of four basic coupling mechanisms. Each of them is characterized by a different "backaction" on each subsystem. On this basis, for each case, we find the conditions under which a diffusive limit is approached, that is, the time evolution can be approximated in terms of the first and second derivatives of the hybrid state with respect to a classical coordinate. In this limit, the restricted class of evolutions that guaranty the positivity of the hybrid state at all times (quantum Fokker-Planck master equations) emerges when the coupling mechanisms lead to infinitesimal (non-finite) changes in both the quantum and classical subsystems. A broader class of diffusive evolutions is obtained when positivity is only granted after a transient time or alternatively is granted after imposing an initial finite width on the state of the classical subsystem. A set of representative examples support these results., Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures

The distinguishability between two quantum states can be defined in terms of their trace distance. The operational meaning of this definition involves a maximization over measurement projectors. Here we introduce an alternative definition of distinguishability which, instead of projectors, is based on maximization over normalized states (density matrices). It is shown that this procedure leads to a distance (between two states) that, in contrast to the usual approach based on a 1-norm, is based on an infinite-norm. Properties such as convexity, monotonicity, and invariance under unitary transformations are fulfilled. Equivalent operational implementations based on maximization over classical probabilities and hypothesis testing scenarios are also established. When considering the action of completely positive transformations contractivity is only granted for unital maps. This feature allows us to introduce a measure of the quantumness of non-unital maps that can be written in terms of the proposed distinguishability measure and corresponds to the maximal possible deviation from contractivity. Particular examples sustain the main results and conclusions., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

Open quantum systems are inherently coupled to their environments, which in turn also obey quantum dynamical rules. By restricting to dissipative dynamics, here we propose a measure that quantifies how far the environment action on a system departs from the influence of classical noise fluctuations. It relies on the lack of commutativity between the initial reservoir state and the system-environment total Hamiltonian. Independently of the nature of the dissipative system evolution, Markovian or non-Markovian, the measure can be written in terms of the dual propagator that defines the evolution of system operators. The physical meaning and properties of the proposed definition are discussed in detail and also characterized through different paradigmatic dissipative Markovian and non-Markovian open quantum dynamics., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures

An operational (measurement based) scheme that connects measurement invasiveness and the presence of non-classical memory effects in open quantum systems is defined. Its underlying theoretical basis relies on a non-invasive measurability of (memoryless) quantum Markovian dynamics when the corresponding observable is diagonal in the same basis as the system density matrix. In contrast, violation of this property can be related to intrinsic non-classical memory effects. Related conditions for violation of Leggett-Garg inequality due to quantum memory effects emerge from this perspective. The developed approach applies to open quantum dynamics whose time-evolution is derived from a full unitary (microscopic) description, stochastic Hamiltonian dynamics, as well as for a broad class of non-unitary system-environment models (bipartite Lindblad equations)., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

The developing of (non-Markovian) memory effects strongly depends on the underlying system-environment dynamics. Here we study this problem in multipartite arrangements where all subsystems are coupled to each other by non-diagonal Markovian (Lindblad) dephasing mechanisms. Taking as system and environment arbitrary sets of complementary subsystems it is shown that both operational and non-operational approaches to quantum non-Markovianity can be characterized in an exact analytical way. Similarly to previous studies about dissipative-entanglement-generation in this kind of dynamics [Seif, Wang, and Clerk, Phys. Rev. Lett. 128, 070402 (2022)], we found that memory effects can only emerge when a time-reversal symmetry is broken. Nevertheless, it is also found that departures from Markovianity can equivalently be represented through a statistical mixture of Markovian dephasing dynamics, which does not involve any system-environment entanglement. Specific bipartite and multipartite dynamics exemplify the main general results., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

Quantum memory effects can be qualitatively understood as a consequence of an environment-to-system backflow of information. Here, we analyze and compare how this concept is interpreted and implemented in different approaches to quantum non-Markovianity. We study a non-operational approach, defined by the istinguishability between two system states characterized by different initial conditions, and an operational approach, which is defined by the correlation between different outcomes associated to successive measurement processes performed over the system of interest. The differences, limitations, and vantages of each approach are characterized in detail by considering diverse system-environment models and dynamics. As a specific example, we study a non-Markovian depolarizing map induced by the interaction of the system of interest with an environment characterized by incoherent and coherent self-dynamics., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

Quantum memory effects can be induced even when the degrees of freedom associated to the environment are not affected at all during the system evolution. In this paper, based on a bipartite representation of the system-environment dynamics, we found the more general interactions that lead to this class of quantum non-Markovian "casual bystander environments." General properties of the resulting dynamics are studied with focus on the system-environment correlations, a collisional measurement-based representation, and the quantum regression hypothesis. Memory effects are also characterized through an operational approach, which in turn allows to detect when the studied properties apply. Single and multipartite qubits dynamics support and exemplify the developed results., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

We study a class of multipartite open quantum dynamics for systems of arbitrary number of qubits. The non-Markovian quantum master equation can involve arbitrary single or multipartite and time-dependent dissipative coupling mechanisms, expressed in terms of strings of Pauli operators. We formulate the general constraints that guarantee the complete positivity of this dynamics. We characterize in detail underlying mechanisms that lead to memory effects, together with properties of the dynamics encoded in the associated system rates. We specifically derive multipartite "eternal" non-Markovian master equations that we term hyperbolic and trigonometric due to the time dependence of their rates. For these models we identify a transition between positive and periodically divergent rates. We also study non-Markovian effects through an operational (measurement-based) memory witness approach., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

Quantum memory effects can be related to a bidirectional exchange of information between an open system and its environment, which in turn modifies the state and dynamical behavior of the last one. Nevertheless, non-Markovianity can also be induced by environments whose dynamics is not affected during the system evolution, implying the absence of any physical information exchange. An unsolved open problem in the formulation of quantum memory measures is the apparent impossibility of discerning between both paradigmatic cases. Here, we present an operational scheme that, based on the outcomes of successive measurements processes performed over the system of interest, allows to distinguishing between both kinds of memory effects. The method accurately detects bidirectional information flows in diverse dissipative and dephasing non-Markovian open system dynamics., Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, Originally submitted to PRL

The definition of memory in operational approaches to quantum non-Markovianity depends on the statistical properties of different sets of outcomes related to successive measurement processes performed over the system of interest. Using projectors techniques we develop a perturbation theory that enables to expressing both joint probabilities and outcome correlations in terms of the unperturbed system density matrix propagator. This object defines the open system dynamics in absence of measurement processes. Successive series terms, which are scaled by the system-environment interaction strength, consist in a convolution structure involving system propagators weighted by higher order bath correlations. The formalism is corroborated by studying different dynamics that admit an exact description. Using the perturbative approach, unusual memory effects induced by the interplay between the system-environment interaction and measurement processes are found in finite temperature reservoirs., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures

We calculate in an exact way the conditional past-future correlation for the decay dynamics of a two-level system in a bosonic bath. Different measurement processes are considered. In contrast to quantum memory measures based solely on system propagator properties, here memory effects are related to a convolution structure involving two system propagators and the environment correlation. This structure allows to detect memory effects even close to the validity of the Born-Markov approximation. An alternative operational-based definition of environment-to-system backflow of information follows from this result. We provide experimental support to our results by implementing the dynamics and measurements in a photonic experiment.

Memory effects can be studied through a conditional past-future correlation, which measures departure with respect to a conditional past-future independence valid in a memoryless Markovian regime. In a quantum regime this property leads to an operational definition of quantum non-Markovianity based on three consecutive system measurement processes and postselection [Budini, Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 240401 (2018)]. Here, we study the conditional past-future correlation for a qubit system coupled to different dephasing environments. Exact solutions are obtained for a quantum spin bath as well as for classically fluctuating random Hamiltonian models. The developing of memory effects and departures from Born-Markov or white-noise approximations are related to a measurement back action that changes the system dynamics between consecutive measurements. It is shown that this effect may develop even when the former system evolution is given by a time-independent Lindblad equation. This unusual non-Markovian case arises when the characteristic parameters of the dynamics become Lorentzian random distributed variables., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures

For classical Markovian stochastic systems, past and future events become statistically independent when conditioned to a given state at the present time. Memory non-Markovian effects break this condition, inducing a non-vanishing conditional past-future correlation. Here, this classical memory indicator is extended to a quantum regime, which provides an operational definition of quantum non-Markovianity based on a minimal set of three time-ordered quantum system measurements and post-selection. The detection of memory effects through the measurement scheme is univocally related to departures from Born-Markov and white noise approximations in quantum and classical environments respectively., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, and supplemental material. To be published in Phys.Rev. Lett

The degree of non-Markovianity allows to characterizing quantum evolutions that depart from a Markovian regime in a similar way as Schmidt number measures the degree of entanglement of pure states. Maximally non-Markovian dynamics are the analogous of maximally entangled states [D. Chru\'sci\'nski and S. Maniscalco, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 120404 (2014)]. Here, we demonstrate that there exists a class of maximally non-Markovian quantum evolutions where the associated environment (degrees of freedom not belonging to the system) obeys a Markovian (memoryless) dynamics, which in turn is unperturbed by the system state or dynamics. These properties imply the absence of any "physical environment-to-system backflow of information." Non-Markovian features (as usual in quantum systems coupled to dissipative classical degrees of freedom) arise from a unidirectional dependence of the system dynamics on the reservoir states., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

By modeling the interaction of an open quantum system with its environment through a natural generalization of the classical concept of continuous time random walk, we derive and characterize a class of non-Markovian master equations whose solution is a completely positive map. The structure of these master equations is associated with a random renewal process where each event consist in the application of a superoperator over a density matrix. Strong non-exponential decay arise by choosing different statistics of the renewal process. As examples we analyze the stochastic and averaged dynamics of simple systems that admit an analytical solution. The problem of positivity in quantum master equations induced by memory effects [S.M. Barnett and S. Stenholm, Phys. Rev. A 64, 033808 (2001)] is clarified in this context., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures

Given an arbitrary measurement over a system of interest, the outcome of a posterior measurement can be used for improving the statistical estimation of the system state after the former measurement. Here, we realize an informational-entropic study of this kind of (Bayesian) retrodicted quantum measurement formulated in the context of quantum state smoothing. We show that the (average) entropy of the system state after the retrodicted measurement (smoothed state) is bounded from below and above by the entropies of the first measurement when performed in a selective and non-selective standard predictive ways respectively. For bipartite systems the same property is also valid for each subsystem. Their mutual information, in the case of a former single projective measurement, is also bounded in a similar way. The corresponding inequalities provide a kind of retrodicted extension of Holevo bound for quantum communication channels. These results quantify how much information gain is obtained through retrodicted quantum measurements in quantum state smoothing. While an entropic reduction is always granted, in bipartite systems mutual information may be degraded. Relevant physical examples confirm these features., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

We consider a quantum system continuously monitored in time which in turn is coupled to an arbitrary dissipative classical system (diagonal reduced density matrix). The quantum and classical dynamics can modify each other, being described by an arbitrary time-irreversible hybrid Lindblad equation. Given a measurement trajectory, a conditional bipartite stochastic state can be inferred by taking into account all previous recording information (filtering). Here, we demonstrate that the joint quantum-classical state can also be inferred by taking into account both past and future measurement results (smoothing). The smoothed hybrid state is estimated without involving information from unobserved measurement channels. Its average over recording realizations recovers the joint time-irreversible behavior. As an application we consider a fluorescent system monitored by an inefficient photon detector. This feature is taken into account through a fictitious classical two-level system. The average purity of the smoothed quantum state increases over that of the (mixed) state obtained from the standard quantum jump approach., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures

By using a condition of average trace preservation we derive a general class of non-Markovian Gaussian diffusive unravelings [L. Diosi and L. Ferialdi, Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{113}, 200403 (2014)], here valid for arbitrary non-Hermitian system operators and noise correlations. The conditions under which the generalized stochastic Schrodinger equation has the same symmetry properties (invariance under unitary changes of operator base) than a microscopic system-bath Hamiltonian dynamics are determined. While the standard quantum diffusion model (standard noise correlations) always share the same invariance symmetry, the generalized stochastic dynamics can be mapped with an arbitrary bosonic environment only if some specific correlation constraints are fulfilled. These features are analyzed for different non-Markovian unravelings equivalent in average. Results based on quantum measurement theory that lead to specific cases of the generalized dynamics [J. Gambetta and H. M. Wiseman, Phys. Rev. A \textbf{66}, 012108 (2002)]\ are studied from the perspective of the present analysis., Comment: 10 pages, published version

In this paper we demonstrate that two commonly used phenomenological post-Markovian quantum master equations can be derived without using any perturbative approximation. A system coupled to an environment characterized by self-classical configurational fluctuations, the latter obeying a Markovian dynamics, defines the underlying physical model. Both Shabani-Lidar equation [A. Shabani and D. A. Lidar, Phys. Rev. A 71, 020101(R) (2005)] and its associated approximated integro-differential kernel master equation are obtained by tracing out two different bipartite Markovian Lindblad dynamics where the environment fluctuations are taken into account by an ancilla system. Furthermore, conditions under which the non-Markovian system dynamics can be unravelled in terms of an ensemble of measurement trajectories are found. In addition, a non-Markovian quantum jump approach is formulated. Contrary to recent analysis [L. Mazzola, E. M. Laine, H. P. Breuer, S. Maniscalco, and J. Piilo, Phys. Rev. A 81, 062120 (2010)], we also demonstrate that these master equations, even with exponential memory functions, may lead to non-Markovian effects such as an environment-to-system backflow of information if the Hamiltonian system does not commutate with the dissipative dynamics., Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures

A wide class of non-Markovian completely positive master equations can be formulated on the basis of quantum collisional models. In this phenomenological approach the dynamics of an open quantum system is modeled through an ensemble of stochastic realizations that consist in the application at random times of a (collisional) completely positive transformation over the system state. In this paper, we demonstrate that these kinds of models can be embedded in bipartite Markovian Lindblad dynamics consisting of the system of interest and an auxiliary one. In contrast with phenomenological formulations, here the stochastic ensemble dynamics an the inter-event time interval statistics are obtained from a quantum measurement theory after assuming that the auxiliary system is continuously monitored in time. Models where the system inter-collisional dynamics is non-Markovian [B. Vacchini, Phys. Rev. A 87, 030101(R) (2013)] are also obtained from the present approach. The formalism is exemplified through bipartite dynamics that leads to non-Markovian system effects such as an environment-to-system back flow of information., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

The quantum jump approach allows to characterize the stochastic dynamics associated to an open quantum system submitted to a continuous measurement action. In this paper we show that this formalism can consistently be extended to non-Markovian system dynamics. The results rely in studying a measurement process performed on a bipartite arrangement characterized by a Markovian Lindblad evolution. Both a renewal and non-renewal extensions are found. The general structure of non-local master equations that admit an unravelling in terms of the corresponding non-Markovian trajectories are also found. Studying a two-level system dynamics, it is demonstrated that non-Markovian effects such as an environment-to-system flow of information may be present in the ensemble dynamics., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures

The properties of some complex many body systems can be modeled by introducing in the dissipative dynamics of each single component a set of kinetic constraints that depend on the state of the neighbor systems. Here, we characterize this kind of dynamics for two quantum systems whose independent dissipative evolutions are defined by a Lindblad equation. The constraints are introduced through a set of projectors that restrict the action of each single dissipative Lindblad channel to the state of the other system. Conditions that guaranty a classical interpretation of the kinetic constraints are found. The generation and evolution of entanglement is studied for two optical qubits systems. Classically constrained dissipation leads to a stationary state whose degree of entanglement depends on the initial state. Nevertheless, independently of the initial conditions, a maximal entangled state is generated when both systems are subjected to the action of local Hamiltonian fields that do not commutate with the constraints. The underlying physical mechanism is analyzed in detail., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

The large-deviation method can be used to study the measurement trajectories of open quantum systems. For optical arrangements this formalism allows to describe the long time properties of the (non-equilibrium) photon counting statistics in the context of a (equilibrium) thermodynamic approach defined in terms of dynamical phases and transitions between them in the trajectory space [J.P. Garrahan and I. Lesanovsky, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 160601 (2010)]. In this paper, we study the thermodynamic approach for fluorescent systems coupled to complex reservoirs that induce stochastic fluctuations in their dynamical parameters. In a fast modulation limit the thermodynamics corresponds to that of a Markovian two-level system. In a slow modulation limit, the thermodynamic properties are equivalent to those of a finite system that in an infinite-size limit is characterized by a first-order transition. The dynamical phases correspond to different intensity regimes, while the size of the system is measured by the transition rate of the bath fluctuations. As a function of a dimensionless intensive variable, the first and second derivative of the thermodynamic potential develop an abrupt change and a narrow peak respectively. Their scaling properties are consistent with a double-Gaussian probability distribution of the associated extensive variable., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

In this paper, we develop a quantum-jump approach for describing the photon-emission process of single fluorophore systems coupled to complex classically fluctuating reservoirs. The formalism relies on an open quantum system approach where the dynamic of the system and the reservoir fluctuations are described through a density matrix whose evolution is defined by a Lindblad rate equation. For each realization of the photon measurement processes it is possible to define a conditional system state (stochastic density matrix) whose evolution depends on both the photon detection events and the fluctuations between the configurational states of the reservoir. In contrast to standard fluorescent systems the photon-to-photon emission process is not a renewal one, being defined by a (stochastic) waiting time distribution that in each recording event parametrically depends on the conditional state. The formalism allows calculating experimental observables such as the full hierarchy of joint probabilities associated to the time intervals between consecutive photon recording events. These results provide a powerful basis for characterizing different situations arising in single-molecule spectroscopy, such as spectral fluctuations, lifetime fluctuations, and light assisted processes., Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures

By modeling the interaction of a system with an environment through a renewal approach, we demonstrate that completely positive non-Markovian dynamics may develop some unexplored non-standard statistical properties. The renewal approach is defined by a set of disruptive events, consisting in the action of a completely positive superoperator over the system density matrix. The random time intervals between events are described by an arbitrary waiting-time distribution. We show that, in contrast to the Markovian case, if one performs a system-preparation (measurement) at an arbitrary time, the subsequent evolution of the density matrix evolution is modified. The non-stationary character refers to the absence of an asymptotic master equation even when the preparation is performed at arbitrary long times. In spite of this property, we demonstrate that operator expectation values and operators correlations have the same dynamical structure, establishing the validity of a non-stationary quantum regression hypothesis. The non-stationary property of the dynamic is also analyzed through the response of the system to an external weak perturbation., Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures

In this paper, single-molecule spectroscopy experiments based on continuous laser excitation are characterized through an open quantum system approach. The evolution of the fluorophore system follows from an effective Hamiltonian microscopic dynamic where its characteristic parameters, i.e., its electric dipole, transition frequency, and Rabi frequency, as well as the quantization of the background electromagnetic field and their mutual interaction, are defined in an extended Hilbert space associated to the different configurational states of the local nano-environment. After tracing out the electromagnetic field and the configurational states, the fluorophore density matrix is written in terms of a Lindblad rate equation. Observables associated to the scattered laser field, like optical spectrum, intensity-intensity correlation, and photon-counting statistics, are obtained from a quantum-electrodynamic calculation also based on the effective microscopic dynamic. In contrast with stochastic models, this approach allows to describe in a unified way both the full quantum nature of the scattered laser field as well as the classical nature of the environment fluctuations. By analyzing different processes such as spectral diffusion, lifetime fluctuations, and light assisted processes, we exemplify the power of the present approach., Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures

In this paper we derive an extra class of non-Markovian master equations where the system state is written as a sum of auxiliary matrixes whose evolution involve Lindblad contributions with local coupling between all of them, resembling the structure of a classical rate equation. The system dynamics may develops strong non-local effects such as the dependence of the stationary properties with the system initialization. These equations are derived from alternative microscopic interactions, such as complex environments described in a generalized Born-Markov approximation and tripartite system-environment interactions, where extra unobserved degrees of freedom mediates the entanglement between the system and a Markovian reservoir. Conditions that guarantees the completely positive condition of the solution map are found. Quantum stochastic processes that recover the system dynamics in average are formulated. We exemplify our results by analyzing the dynamical action of non-trivial structured dephasing and depolarizing reservoirs over a single qubit., Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures

We find the conditions under which a quantum regression theorem can be assumed valid for non-Markovian master equations consisting in Lindblad superoperators with memory kernels. Our considerations are based on a generalized Born-Markov approximation, which allows us to obtain our results from an underlying Hamiltonian description. We demonstrate that a non-Markovian quantum regression theorem can only be granted in a stationary regime if the dynamics satisfies a quantum detailed balance condition. As an example we study the correlations of a two level system embedded in a complex structured reservoir and driven by an external coherent field., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. Extended version. The GBMA is deduced from projector technique. A new appendix is added

In this paper we demonstrate that Lindblad equations characterized by a random rate variable arise after tracing out a complex structured reservoir. Our results follows from a generalization of the Born-Markov approximation, which relies in the possibility of splitting the complex environment in a direct sum of sub-reservoirs, each one being able to induce by itself a Markovian system evolution. Strong non-Markovian effects, which microscopically originate from the entanglement with the different sub-reservoirs, characterize the average system decay dynamics. As an example, we study the anomalous irreversible behavior of a quantum tunneling system described in an effective two level approximation. Stretched exponential and power law decay behaviors arise from the interplay between the dissipative and unitary hopping dynamics., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PRE

We deduce a class of non-Markovian completely positive master equations which describe a system in a composite bipartite environment, consisting of a Markovian reservoir and additional stationary unobserved degrees of freedom that modulate the dissipative coupling. The entanglement-induced memory effects can persist for arbitrary long times and affect the relaxation to equilibrium, as well as induce corrections to the quantum-regression theorem. By considering the extra degrees of freedom as a discrete manifold of energy levels, strong non-exponential behavior can arise, as for example power law and stretched exponential decays., Comment: 8 pages, extensively revised and expanded, changed title, to appear in J Phys A