Isotropy and control of dissipative quantum dynamics

Abstract

We investigate the problem of what evolutions an open quantum system described by a time-local master equation can undergo with universal coherent controls. A series of conditions is given which exclude channels from being reachable by any unitary controls, assuming that the coupling to the environment is not being modified. These conditions primarily arise by defining decay rates for the generator of the dynamics of the open system, and then showing that controlling the system can only make these rates more isotropic. This forms a series of constraints on the shape and nonunitality of allowed evolutions, as well as an expression for the time required to reach a given goal. We give numerical examples of the usefulness of these criteria and explore some similarities they have with quantum thermodynamics.