Constructive method for detecting the information backflow of bijective non-completely-positive-divisible dynamics

Abstract

We investigate the relation between two approaches to the characterisation of quantum Markovianity, divisibility and lack of information backflow. We show that a bijective dynamical map is completely-positive-divisible if and only if a monotonic non-increase of distinguishability is observed for two equiprobable states of the evolving system and an ancilla. Moreover our proof is constructive: given any such map that is not completely-positive-divisible, we give an explicit construction of two states that, when taken with the same a priori probability, exhibit information back-flow. Finally, while an ancilla is necessary for the equivalence to hold in general, we show that it is always possible to witness the non-Markovianity of bijective maps without using any entanglement between system and ancilla.