Reconstruction theorem for quantum stochastic processes

Abstract

Statistically interpretable axioms are formulated that define a quantum stochastic process (QSP) as a causally ordered operator field in an arbitrary space-time region T of an open quantum system under a sequential observation at a discrete space-time localization. It is shown that to every QSP described in the weak sense by a self-consistent system of causally ordered correlation kernels there corresponds a unique, up to unitary equivalence, minimal QSP in the strong sense. It is shown that the proposed QSP construction, which reduces in the case of the linearly ordered discrete T=Z to the construction of the inductive limit of Lindblad's canonical representations, corresponds to Kolmogorov's classical reconstruction if the order on T is ignored and leads to Lewis construction if one uses the system of all (not only causal) correlation kernels, regarding this system as lexicographically preordered on T. The approach presented encompasses both nonrelativistic and relativistic irreversible dynamics of open quantum systems and fields satisfying the conditions of local commutativity and semigroup covariance. Also given are necessary and sufficient conditions of dynamicity (or conditional Markovianity) and regularity, these leading to the properties of complete mixing (relaxation) and ergodicity of the QSP.