Purification and uniqueness of quantum Gibbs states (Q1328202)

The paper proposes a new method for proving uniqueness of Gibbs states of quantum spin models on lattices. This method is based on the ergodicity of Markov semigroups (semigroups of completely positive maps on \(C^*\)- algebras). A quantum analogy of Dobrushin's uniqueness condition for Gibbs measures is found, though the condition obtained in the paper is still a perturbation theory near infinite temperature. The starting point is the special procedure of so-called purification of a Gibbs state. Next the author introduces Hamiltonians for which any ground state is necessarily the purification of a Gibbs state. Also he constructs Markov semigroups for which the purification of any Gibbs state is reversible. The author's proposal is as follows. Consider the purification of quantum Gibbs states and prove the ergodicity of the Markov semigroup for which the invariant state is a purified Gibbs state. Both Markov semigroups and Hamiltonians considered in the paper are not canonically defined and there is room for modification of the construction of the semigroup and the Hamiltonian. It is possible to improve results at this step.