The index of a quantum dynamical semigroup (Q1369781)

\({\mathcal B}(H)\) denotes the algebra of all bounded operators on a separable Hilbert space \(H\). Let \(P= \{P_t; t\geq 0\}\) be a CP semigroup of normal completely positive maps, acting on \({\mathcal B}(H)\). \({\mathcal U}_P\) is the set of all units of \(P\), and \(V\) is the vector space consisting of all finitely nonzero functions \(f:{\mathcal U}_P\to \mathbb{C}\) satisfying \(\sum_{T\in{\mathcal U}_P} f(T)= 0\). \(\langle f,g\rangle\) denotes a positive semidefinite sesquilinear form on \(V\). \(H_P\) is the Hilbert space which is obtained by completing the inner product space \(V/N\), where \(N\) is the subspace \(N= \{f\in V; \langle f,f\rangle= 0\}\). The author defines a numerical index \(d_*(P)\) as the dimension of the Hilbert space \(H_P\). This index is a kind of generalization of the index of \(E_0\)-semigroups, e.g. see \textit{W. Arveson} [``Continuous analogues of Fock space'', Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 409 (1989; Zbl 0697.46035)]. As one of the main theorems in this paper, it is proved that the index of a unital completely positive semigroup coincides with the index of its dilation to an \(E_0\)-semigroup, as far as the dilation is minimal. Namely, \(d_*(P)= d_*(\alpha)\) holds, when \(\alpha\) is the minimal dilation of \(P\) to an \(E_0\)-semigroup.