Role of preparation in quantum process tomography

Abstract

It was recently pointed out how differences in preparation procedures for quantum experiments can lead to nontrivial differences in the results of the experiment. The differences arise from the initial correlations between the system and the environment. Therefore, any quantum experiment that is prone to influences from the environment must be prepared carefully. We study quantum-process tomography in light of this. We suggest several experimental setups, where preparation of the initial state plays a role in the final outcome of the experiment. By studying the linearity and the positivity of the resulting maps, the experimenter can determine the nature of the initial correlations between the system and the environment. © 2010 The American Physical Society.