Computable measures of non-Markovianity for Gaussian free fermion systems

Giuliano Chiriacò

Published: 2025/9/30

Abstract

We investigate measures of non-Markovianity in open quantum systems governed by Gaussian free fermionic dynamics. Standard indicators of non-Markovian behavior, such as the BLP and LFS measures, are revisited in this context. We show that for Gaussian states, trace-based distances -- specifically the Hilbert-Schmidt norm -- and second-order R\'enyi mutual information can be efficiently expressed in terms of two-point correlation functions, enabling practical computation even in systems where the full density matrix is intractable. Crucially, this framework remains valid even when the density matrix of the system is an average over stochastic Gaussian trajectories, yielding a non-Gaussian state. We present efficient numerical protocols based on this structure and demonstrate their feasibility through a small-scale simulation. Our approach opens a scalable path to quantifying non-Markovianity in interacting or measured fermionic systems, with applications in quantum information and non-equilibrium quantum dynamics.