A "Square-root" Method for the Density Matrix and its Applications to Lindblad Operators

The evolution of open systems, subject to both Hamiltonian and dissipative forces, is studied by writing the $nm$ element of the time ($t$) dependent density matrix in the form \ber \rho_{nm}(t)&=& \frac {1}{A} \sum_{\alpha=1}^A \gamma ^{\alpha}_n (t)\gamma^{\alpha *}_m (t) \enr The so called "square root factors", the $\gamma(t)$'s, are non-square matrices and are averaged over $A$ systems ($\alpha$) of the ensemble. This square-root description is exact. Evolution equations are then postulated for the $\gamma(t)$ factors, such as to reduce to the Lindblad-type evolution equations for the diagonal terms in the density matrix. For the off-diagonal terms they differ from the Lindblad-equations. The "square root factors" $\gamma(t)$ are not unique and the equations for the $\gamma(t)$'s depend on the specific representation chosen. Two criteria can be suggested for fixing the choice of $\gamma(t)$'s one is simplicity of the resulting equations and the other has to do with the reduction of the difference between the $\gamma(t)$ formalism and the Lindblad-equations.Comment: 36 pages, 7 figure

On unified-entropy characterization of quantum channels

We consider properties of quantum channels with use of unified entropies. Extremal unravelings of quantum channel with respect to these entropies are examined. The concept of map entropy is extended in terms of the unified entropies. The map $(q,s)$-entropy is naturally defined as the unified $(q,s)$-entropy of rescaled dynamical matrix of given quantum channel. Inequalities of Fannes type are obtained for introduced entropies in terms of both the trace and Frobenius norms of difference between corresponding dynamical matrices. Additivity properties of introduced map entropies are discussed. The known inequality of Lindblad with the entropy exchange is generalized to many of the unified entropies. For tensor product of a pair of quantum channels, we derive two-sided estimating of the output entropy of a maximally entangled input state.Comment: 12 pages, no figures. Typos are fixed. One lemma is extended and removed to Appendi