Let [Ascr ] be a unital von Neumann algebra of operators on a complex separable
Hilbert space ([Hscr ]0, and let
{Tt, t [ges ] 0} be a uniformly
continuous quantum dynamical
semigroup of completely positive unital maps on [Ascr ]. The infinitesimal generator [Lscr ]
of {Tt} is a bounded linear operator on the Banach
space [Ascr ]. For any Hilbert space
[Kscr ], denote by [Bscr ]([Kscr ]) the von Neumann algebra of all bounded operators on [Kscr ].
Christensen and Evans [3] have shown that [Lscr ] has the form
formula here
where π is a representation of [Ascr ] in [Bscr ]([Kscr ]) for some
Hilbert space [Kscr ], R: [Hscr ]0 → [Kscr ] is
a bounded operator satisfying the ‘minimality’ condition that the set
{(RX−π(X)R)u,
u∈[Hscr ]0, X∈[Ascr ]} is total in
[Kscr ], and K0 is a fixed element of [Ascr ]. The unitality of
{Tt} implies that [Lscr ](1) = 0, and consequently
K0 = iH−½R*R,
where H is a hermitian
element of [Ascr ]. Thus (1.1) can be expressed as
formula here
We say that the quadruple ([Kscr ], π, R, H)
constitutes the set of Christensen–Evans (CE)
parameters which determine the CE generator [Lscr ] of the semigroup
{Tt}. It is quite possible that another set
([Kscr ]′, π′, R′, H′) of CE
parameters may determine the same
generator [Lscr ]. In such a case, we say that these two sets of CE parameters are
equivalent. In Section 2 we study this equivalence relation in some detail.