A perturbation theory for multi-time correlation functions in open quantum systems

Dynamical maps are the principal subject of the open system theory. Formally, the dynamical map of a given open quantum system is a density matrix transformation that takes any initial state and sends it to the state at a later time. Physically, it encapsulates the system’s evolution due to coupling with its environment. Hence, the theory provides a flexible and accurate framework for computing expectation values of open system observables. However, expectation values-or more generally, single-time correlation functions-capture only the simplest aspects of a quantum system’s dynamics. A complete characterization of the dynamics requires access to multi-time correlation functions as well: phenomena like detailed balance, linear and non-linear response, non-equilibrium transport in general, or even sequential measurements of system observables are all described in terms of multi-time correlations. For closed systems, such correlations are well-defined, even though knowledge of the system’s state alone is insufficient to determine them fully. In contrast, the standard dynamical map formalism for open systems does not account for multi-time correlations, as it is fundamentally limited to describing state evolution. Here, we extend the scope of open quantum system theory by developing a systematic perturbation theory for computing multi-time correlation functions.