Maximally Robust Unravelings of Quantum Master Equations

Abstract

The stationary solution \rho of a quantum master equation can be represented as an ensemble of pure states in a continuous infinity of ways. An ensemble which is physically realizable through monitoring the system's environment we call an `unraveling'. The survival probability S(t) of an unraveling is the average probability for each of its elements to be unchanged a time t after cessation of monitoring. The maximally robust unraveling is the one for which S(t) remains greater than the largest eigenvalue of \rho for the longest time. The optical parametric oscillator is a soluble example.