From the Choi Formalism in Infinite Dimensions to Unique Decompositions of Generators of Completely Positive Dynamical Semigroups

Abstract: Given any separable complex Hilbert space, any trace-class operator $B$ which does not have purely imaginary trace, and any generator $L$ of a norm-continuous one-parameter semigroup of completely positive maps we prove that there exists a unique bounded operator $K$ and a unique completely positive map $\Phi$ such that (i) $L=K(\cdot)+(\cdot)K^*+\Phi$, (ii) the superoperator $\Phi(B^*(\cdot)B)$ is trace class and has vanishing trace, and (iii) ${\rm tr}(B^*K)$ is a real number. Central to our proof is a modified version of the Choi formalism which relates completely positive maps to positive semi-definite operators. We characterize when this correspondence is injective and surjective, respectively, which in turn explains why the proof idea of our main result cannot extend to non-separable Hilbert spaces. In particular, we find examples of positive semi-definite operators which have empty pre-image under the Choi formalism as soon as the underlying Hilbert space is infinite-dimensional.