Starting from a generalization of the quantum trajectory theory (based on the stochastic Schrodinger equation - SSE), non-Markovian models of quantum dynamics are derived. In order to describe non-Markovian effects, the approach used in this article
is based on the introduction of random coefficients in the usual linear SSE. A major interest is that this allows to develop a consistent theory of quantum measurement in continuous time for these non-Markovian quantum trajectory models. In this context, the notions of instrument, a priori and a posteriori states are rigorously described. The key point is that by starting from a stochastic equation on the Hilbert space of the system, we are able to respect the complete positivity of the mean dynamics for the statistical operator and the requirements of the axioms of quantum measurement theory. The flexibility of the theory is next illustrated by a concrete physical model of a noisy oscillator where non Markovian effects come from random environment, coloured noises, randomness in the stimulating light, delay effects. The statistics of the emitted photons and the heterodyne and homodyne spectra are studied and we show how these quantities are sensible to the non-Markovian features of the system dynamics, so that, in principle, the observation and analysis of the fluorescence light could reveal the presence of non-Markovian effects and allow for a measure of the spectra of the noises affecting the system dynamics.
The correlated-projection technique has been successfully applied to derive a large class of highly non Markovian dynamics, the so called non Markovian generalized Lindblad type equations or Lindblad rate equations. In this article, general unravelli
ngs are presented for these equations, described in terms of jump-diffusion stochastic differential equations for wave functions. We show also that the proposed unravelling can be interpreted in terms of measurements continuous in time, but with some conceptual restrictions. The main point in the measurement interpretation is that the structure itself of the underlying mathematical theory poses restrictions on what can be considered as observable and what is not; such restrictions can be seen as the effect of some kind of superselection rule. Finally, we develop a concrete example and we discuss possible effects on the heterodyne spectrum of a two-level system due to a structured thermal-like bath with memory.
By starting from the stochastic Schrodinger equation and quantum trajectory theory, we introduce memory effects by considering stochastic adapted coefficients. As an example of a natural non-Markovian extension of the theory of white noise quantum tr
ajectories we use an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck coloured noise as the output driving process. Under certain conditions a random Hamiltonian evolution is recovered. Moreover, we show that our non-Markovian stochastic Schrodinger equations unravel some master equations with memory kernels.
