Non-Markovianity in the Adapted Caldeira–Leggett Model

We investigate the non-Markovian features of the Adapted Caldeira–Leggett model, a computationally efficient framework recently proposed to capture the essential physics of the standard Caldeira–Leggett model. While this effective model has been previously validated for decoherence and einselection, its ability to reproduce memory effects remains to be explored. By exploiting the model’s capability to explicitly track both system and environment degrees of freedom, we provide a detailed characterization of non-Markovianity through the lens of information backflow. We evaluate the buildup of system-environment correlations and the corresponding modifications of the environmental state, assessing a quantitative upper bound for the revival of distinguishability in the reduced dynamics. Our results, obtained by comparing different distinguishability quantifiers such as trace distance and the square root of the Jensen–Shannon divergence, show that while correlations are primarily sensitive to coupling strength, environmental state changes are more heavily influenced by temperature. Our analysis substantiates the physical interpretation of the distinguishability-based approach to non-Markovianity, and confirms this variant of the Caldeira–Leggett model as a reliable tool for exploring the microscopic origins of different fundamental phenomena in quantum mechanics.