Continuous measurements, quantum trajectories, and decoherent histories

Abstract

Quantum open systems are described in the Markovian limit by master equations in Lindblad form. I argue that common ``quantum trajectory'' techniques corresponding to continuous measurement schemes, which solve the master equation by unraveling its evolution into stochastic trajectories in Hilbert space, correspond closely to particular sets of decoherent (or consistent) histories. This is illustrated by a simple model of photon counting. An equivalence is shown for these models between standard quantum jumps and the orthogonal jumps of Diósi, which have already been shown to correspond to decoherent histories. This correspondence is compared to simple treatments of trajectories based on repeated or continuous measurements.

31 pages RevTeX 3.1 + 2 figures (postscript). Extensive revisions, with new material. Submitted to Phys. Rev. A

References in corpus (5)

• The Quantum Jump Approach to Dissipative Dynamics in Quantum Optics
• Open system dynamics with non-Markovian quantum trajectories
• Choice of Consistent Family, and Quantum Incompatibility
• Stochastic pure state representation for open quantum systems
• Physical interpretation of stochastic Schroedinger equations in cavity QED

Cited by in corpus (37)

• Nonequilibrium fluctuations, fluctuation theorems, and counting statistics in quantum systems
• A short introduction to the Lindblad Master Equation
• A simple model of quantum trajectories
• The role of quantum measurement in stochastic thermodynamics
• Quantum Trajectory Approach to the Stochastic Thermodynamics of a Forced Harmonic Oscillator
• Many-body physics in the NISQ era: quantum programming a discrete time crystal
• Energy dynamics, heat production and heat-work conversion with qubits: towards the development of quantum machines
• Quantum Model of Cooling and Force Sensing With an Optically Trapped Nanoparticle
• Unitary Brownian motions are linearizable
• Logarithmic, noise-induced dynamics in the Anderson insulator
• Semiclassical Lindblad master equation for spin dynamics
• Causal State Updates in Real Scalar Quantum Field Theory
• Stochastic unraveling of positive quantum dynamics
• Analyzing photon-count heralded entanglement generation between solid-state spin qubits by decomposing the master equation dynamics
• Jumptime unraveling of Markovian open quantum systems
• Classicality with(out) decoherence: Concepts, relation to Markovianity, and a random matrix theory approach
• Transient chaos - a resolution of breakdown of quantum-classical correspondence in optomechanics
• Microscopic models of quantum jump super-operators
• First Principles Numerical Demonstration of Emergent Decoherent Histories
• Decoherence predictions in a superconductive quantum device using the steepest-entropy-ascent quantum thermodynamics framework
• Inclusion of non-idealities in the continuous photodetection model
• Decomposing generalized measurements into continuous stochastic processes
• Periodically Driven Open Quantum Systems: Spectral Properties and Non-Equilibrium Steady States
• Continuous measurement of a qudit using dispersively coupled radiation
• Multiple re-encounter approach to radical pair reactions and the role of nonlinear master equations
• Microscopic biasing of discrete-time quantum trajectories
• How to design quantum-jump trajectories via distinct master equation representations
• Stochastic dynamical low-rank approximation method
• Stochastic entropy production for continuous measurements of an open quantum system
• Work, heat and entropy production along quantum trajectories
• Wetting critical behavior in the quantum Ising model within the framework of Lindblad dissipative dynamics
• Stochastic entropy production associated with quantum measurement in a framework of Markovian quantum state diffusion
• The Quantum Measurement Problem: A Review of Recent Trends
• Unravelling Cosmological Perturbations
• Classical from Quantum
• Statistical time-domain characterization of non-periodic optical clocks
• Emergence of non-Markovian Decoherent Histories in Integrable Environment: A "Tape Recorder" Model for Local Quantum Observables