Geometric mean and Lebesgue-type decomposition of completely positive maps

Abstract

We introduce the geometric mean and the parallel sum of completely positive (CP) maps between von Neumann algebras, based on the Pusz--Woronowicz theory of positive sesquilinear forms. We provide a concrete characterization via a block matrix positivity condition and establish their fundamental properties, including the AM--GM--HM inequality with respect to the CP order. In finite-dimensional settings, our construction is compatible with the Choi--Jamiolkowski correspondence, under which the geometric mean of CP maps corresponds to the Kubo--Ando geometric mean of their Choi matrices. This yields a natural operator-theoretic framework for interpolating quantum channels. As an application, we obtain index-type inequalities for conditional expectations in subfactor theory. Finally, we establish a Lebesgue-type decomposition of CP maps via a parallel sum construction, thereby providing a unified framework that simultaneously generalizes Ando's decomposition of bounded positive operators and Kosaki's decomposition of normal positive functionals on von Neumann algebras.