Measuring non-Markovianity based on local quantum uncertainty

Abstract

We introduce an alternative method based on local quantum uncertainty to measure non-Markovianity for an open quantum system. The local quantum uncertainty proposed by Girolami $et al$. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 240402 (2013)] is defined by the minimum skew information from a local measurement perspective. The measure effectively captures the characteristics of non-Markovianity and has a clearly physical interpretation: in correlated bipartite systems, the non-Markovian (Markovian) process of a considered open subsystem corresponds to the increase (decrease) of quantum uncertainty of local observables of another measured free subsystem. Then the local quantum uncertainty is further discussed by carefully handling the square root of the density operator for the bipartite $2\ensuremath{\bigotimes}d$ systems. Specifically, for a two-qubit system we give an explicit expression of the local quantum uncertainty. Furthermore, by applying the measure to three typical non-Markovian noise channels, we find that the conditions of detecting the non-Markovianity are consistent with the results of existing measures for non-Markovianity, i.e., information backflow and divisibility.