Spectral and ergodic properties of completely positive maps and decoherence

TL;DR

This paper investigates the spectral and ergodic properties of unital, completely positive maps on $C^*$-algebras, focusing on conditions for decoherence and the structure of persistent dynamics, including finite-dimensional cases.

Contribution

It introduces general conditions for decoherence via spectral analysis of completely positive maps, exploring their structure on non-unital $C^*$-algebras and finite-dimensional systems.

Findings

Identification of spectral conditions for decoherence

Construction of $C^*$-algebra structures on persistent parts

Examples of maps with conservative dynamics on persistent components

Abstract

In an attempt to propose more general conditions for decoherence to occur, we study spectral and ergodic properties of unital, completely positive maps on not necessarily unital $C^*$-algebras, with a particular focus on gapped maps for which the transient portion of the arising dynamical system can be separated from the persistent one. After some general results, we first devote our attention to the abelian case by investigating the unital $*$-endomorphisms of, in general non-unital, $C^*$-algebras, and their spectral structure. The finite dimensional case is also investigated in detail, and examples are provided of unital completely positive maps for which the persistent part of the associated dynamical system is equipped with the new product making it a $C^*$-algebra, and the map under consideration restricts to a unital $*$-automorphism for this new $C^*$-structure, thus generating a conservative dynamics on that persistent part.