Phase covariant qubit dynamics and divisibility

Abstract

Phase covariant qubit dynamics describes an evolution of a two-level system under simultaneous action of pure dephasing, energy dissipation, and energy gain with time-dependent rates $\gamma_z(t)$, $\gamma_-(t)$, and $\gamma_+(t)$, respectively. Non-negative rates correspond to completely positive divisible dynamics, which can still exhibit such peculiarities as non-monotonicity of populations for any initial state. We find a set of quantum channels attainable in the completely positive divisible phase covariant dynamics and show that this set coincides with the set of channels attainable in semigroup phase covariant dynamics. We also construct new examples of eternally indivisible dynamics with $\gamma_z(t) < 0$ for all $t > 0$ that is neither unital nor commutative. Using the quantum Sinkhorn theorem, we for the first time derive a restriction on the decoherence rates under which the dynamics is positive divisible, namely, $\gamma_{\pm}(t) \geq 0$, $\sqrt{\gamma_+(t) \gamma_-(t)} + 2 \gamma_z(t) > 0$. Finally, we consider phase covariant convolution master equations and find a class of admissible memory kernels that guarantee complete positivity of the dynamical map.