Dynamical emergence of Markovianity in Local Time Scheme

TL;DR

This paper explores a novel quantum dynamical map from the Local Time Scheme, revealing how non-Markovian dynamics can exhibit emergent Markovian behavior under certain conditions, with implications for quantum foundations and cosmology.

Contribution

It introduces and analyzes a non-standard dynamical map that is positive, trace-preserving, and unital but non-divisible, extending open quantum systems theory and addressing cosmological questions.

Findings

Open systems reach a steady state faster with smaller size.

Closed systems never reach a steady state.

Emergence of Markovianity depends on time coarse-graining.

Abstract

Recently we pointed out the so-called Local Time Scheme as a novel approach to quantum foundations that solves the preferred pointer-basis problem. In this paper we introduce and analyze in depth a rather non-standard dynamical map that is imposed by the scheme. On one hand, the map does not allow for introducing a properly defined generator of the evolution nor does it represent a quantum channel. On the other hand, the map is linear, positive, trace preserving and unital as well as completely positive, but is not divisible and therefore non-Markovian. Nevertheless, we provide quantitative criteria for dynamical emergence of time-coarse-grained Markovianity, for exact dynamics of an open system, as well as for operationally-defined approximation of a closed or open many-particle system. A closed system never reaches a steady state, while an open system may reach a unique steady state given by the L\" uders-von Neumann formula; where the smaller the open system, the faster a steady state is attained. These generic findings extend the standard open quantum systems theory and substantially tackle certain cosmological issues.