Error Bounds for Finite-Dimensional Approximations of Input-Output Open Quantum Systems by Subspace Truncation and Adiabatic Elimination

Abstract: An important class of physical systems that are of interest in practice are input-output open quantum systems that can be described by quantum stochastic differential equations and defined on an infinite-dimensional underlying Hilbert space. Most commonly, these systems involve coupling to a quantum harmonic oscillator as a system component. This paper is concerned with error bounds in the finite-dimensional approximations of input-output open quantum systems defined on an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. We develop a framework for developing error bounds between the time evolution of the state of a class of infinite-dimensional quantum systems and its approximation on a finite-dimensional subspace of the original, when both are initialized in the latter subspace. This framework is then applied to two approaches for obtaining finite-dimensional approximations: subspace truncation and adiabatic elimination. Applications of the bounds to some physical examples drawn from the literature are provided to illustrate our results.