We apply the time-convolutionless (TCL) projection operator technique to the model of a central spin, which is coupled to a spin bath via nonuniform Heisenberg interaction. The second-order results of the TCL method\ud for the coherences and populations of the central spin are determined analytically and compared to numerical simulations of the full von Neumann equation of the total system. The TCL approach is found to yield an excellent approximation in the strong field regime for the description of both the short-time dynamics and the long time behavior

For a given set of input-output pairs of quantum states or observables, we ask the question whether there exists a physically implementable transformation that maps each of the inputs to the corresponding output. The physical maps on quantum states are trace-preserving completely positive maps, but we also consider variants of these requirements. We generalize the definition of complete positivity to linear maps defined on arbitrary subspaces, then formulate this notion as a semidefinite program, and relate it by duality to approximative extensions of this map. This gives a characterization of the maps which can be approximated arbitrarily well as the restriction of a map that is completely positive on the whole algebra, also yielding the familiar extension theorems on operator spaces. For quantum channel extensions and extensions by probabilistic operations we obtain semidefinite characterizations, and we also elucidate the special case of Abelian in- or outputs. Finally, revisiting a theorem by Alberti and Uhlmann, we provide simpler and more widely applicable conditions for certain extension problems on qubits, and by using a semidefinite programming formulation we exhibit counterexamples to seemingly reasonable but false generalizations of the Alberti-Uhlmann theorem.Comment: 26 pages; v2: minor changes, published version; v3: one reference and note added beyond published versio

Abstract.The dynamical behavior of a star network of spins, wherein each of N decoupled spins interact with a central spin through non uniform Heisenberg XX interaction is exactly studied. The time-dependent Schrödinger equation of the spin system model is solved starting from an arbitrary initial state. The resulting solution is analyzed and briefly discussed.

We study the problem of whether all bipartite quantum states having a prescribed spectrum remain positive under the reduction map applied to one subsystem. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions, in the form of a family of linear inequalities, which the spectrum has to verify. Our conditions become explicit when one of the two subsystems is a qubit, as well as for further sets of states. Finally, we introduce a family of simple entanglement criteria for spectra, closely related to the reduction and positive partial transpose criteria, which also provide new insight into the set of spectra that guarantee separability or positivity of the partial transpose.Comment: Linear Algebra and its Applications (2015

Absolutely separating quantum maps and channels AbstractAbsolutely separable states ñ remain separable under arbitrary unitary transformations  † U U . By example of a three qubit system we show that in a multipartite scenario neither full separability implies bipartite absolute separability nor the reverse statement holds. The main goal of the paper is to analyze quantum maps resulting in absolutely separable output states. Such absolutely separating maps affect the states in a way, when no Hamiltonian dynamics can make them entangled afterwards. We study the general properties of absolutely separating maps and channels with respect to bipartitions and multipartitions and show that absolutely separating maps are not necessarily entanglement breaking. We examine the stability of absolutely separating maps under a tensor product and show that F ÄN is absolutely separating for any N if and only if Φ is the tracing map. Particular results are obtained for families of local unital multiqubit channels, global generalized Pauli channels, and combination of identity, transposition, and tracing maps acting on states of arbitrary dimension. We also study the interplay between local and global noise components in absolutely separating bipartite depolarizing maps and discuss the input states with high resistance to absolute separability.