Controlling entropic uncertainty bound through memory effects

One of the defining traits of quantum mechanics is the uncertainty principle which was originally expressed in terms of the standard deviation of two observables. Alternatively, it can be formulated using entropic measures, and can also be generalized by including a memory particle that is entangled with the particle to be measured. Here we consider a realistic scenario where the memory particle is an open system interacting with an external environment. Through the relation of conditional entropy to mutual information, we provide a link between memory effects and the rate of change of conditional entropy controlling the lower bound of the entropic uncertainty relation. Our treatment reveals that the memory effects stemming from the non-Markovian nature of quantum dynamical maps directly control the lower bound of the entropic uncertainty relation in a general way, independently of the specific type of interaction between the memory particle and its environment.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Rate operator unravelling for open quantum system dynamics

Stochastic methods with quantum jumps are often used to solve open quantum system dynamics. Moreover, they provide insight into fundamental topics, as the role of measurements in quantum mechanics and the description of non-Markovian memory effects. However, there is no unified framework to use quantum jumps to describe open system dynamics in any regime. We solve this issue by developing the Rate Operator Quantum Jump (ROQJ) approach. The method not only applies to both Markovian and non-Markovian evolutions, but also allows us to unravel master equations for which previous methods do not work. In addition, ROQJ yields a rigorous measurement-scheme interpretation for a wide class of dynamics, including a set of master equations with negative decay rates, and sheds light on different types of memory effects which arise when using stochastic quantum jump methods.Comment: 6 + 6 pages, 1 figure, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let

Non-Markovian weak coupling limit of quantum Brownian motion

We derive and solve analytically the non-Markovian master equation for harmonic quantum Brownian motion proving that, for weak system-reservoir couplings and high temperatures, it can be recast in the form of the master equation for a harmonic oscillator interacting with a squeezed thermal bath. This equivalence guarantees preservation of positivity of the density operator during the time evolution and allows one to establish a connection between the dynamics of Schr\"odinger cat states in squeezed environments and environment-induced decoherence in quantum Brownian motion.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure