Energy-Limited Quantum Dynamics

Abstract We consider quantum systems with energy constraints relative to a reference Hamiltonian. In general, quantum channels and continuous-time dynamics need not satisfy energy conservation. Physically meaningful channels, however, only introduce a finite amount of energy to the system, and continuous-time dynamics only increase the energy gradually over time. We systematically study such “energy-limited” channels and dynamics. For Markovian dynamics, energy-limitedness is equivalent to a single operator inequality in the Heisenberg picture. We observe new submultiplicativity inequalities for the energy-constrained diamond and operator norm. As an application, we derive new state-dependent continuity bounds for quantum speed limits.