Twenty-one characterizations of reversible quantum channels

Abstract Reversible quantum channels play a fundamental role in quantum dynamics and quantum information processing. A quantum channel is reversible if there exists another quantum channel acting as its left inverse. Due to their intrinsic significance and wide applications, it is desirable to characterize reversible quantum channels from diverse perspectives. In this work, we study reversible quantum channels on finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, with particular emphasis on the case of different input and output dimensions. We systematically present twenty-one equivalent characterizations of reversible quantum channels from algebraic, geometric, and information-theoretic perspectives. Among these characterizations, some are well known, while others, implicit in the literature or formulated in other contexts, are clarified here; the Choi-state characterization is derived in this work. Specifically, we prove that the Choi states of reversible quantum channels admit three equivalent forms: the spectral, direct-sum, and tensor-product representations. These twenty-one equivalent characterizations establish a comprehensive framework for reversible quantum channels, provide diverse insights into the structural and information-theoretic properties of quantum channels, and facilitate applications of reversibility in quantum information processing such as quantum error correction, quantum teleportation, and quantum thermodynamics.