Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
206,690 studies31 sourcesUpdated 44 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BYSciPost Physics Lecture Notes

Is Lindblad for me?

  • Martino Stefanini1,2,3
  • Aleksandra A. Ziółkowska2
  • Dmitry Budker4,5,2,6
  • Ulrich Poschinger2
  • Ferdinand Schmidt‐Kaler5,2
  • Antoine Browaeys7,8,9
  • Ataç İmamoğlu10
  • Darrick E. Chang11,12
  • Jamir Marino2,13
13 affiliations
  1. 1ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research
  2. 2Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz
  3. 3Sao Paulo State University
  4. 4GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research
  5. 5Helmholtz Institute Mainz
  6. 6University of California, Berkeley
  7. 7Institut d’Optique Graduate School
  8. 8Laboratoire Charles Fabry
  9. 9University of Paris-Saclay
  10. 10Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH)
  11. 11Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats
  12. 12Institute of Photonic Sciences
  13. 13University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

The Lindblad master equation is a foundational tool for modeling the dynamics of open quantum systems. As its use has extended far beyond its original domain, the boundaries of its validity have grown opaque. In particular, the rise of new research areas including open quantum many body systems, non-equilibrium condensed matter, and the possibility to test its limits in driven-open quantum simulators, call for a critical revision of its regimes of applicability. In this pedagogical review, we re-examine the folklore surrounding its three standard approximations (Born, Markov, and Rotating Wave Approximation), as we build our narrative by employing a series of examples and case studies accessible to any reader with a solid background on the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. As a synthesis of our work, we offer a checklist that contrasts common lore with refined expectations, offering a practical guideline for assessing the breakdown of the Lindblad framework in the problem at hand.

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{stefanini2026lindblad,
  title = {{Is Lindblad for me?}},
  author = {Martino Stefanini and Aleksandra A. Ziółkowska and Dmitry Budker and Ulrich Poschinger and Ferdinand Schmidt‐Kaler and Antoine Browaeys and Ataç İmamoğlu and Darrick E. Chang and Jamir Marino},
  journal = {SciPost Physics Lecture Notes},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.21468/scipostphyslectnotes.129},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.21468/scipostphyslectnotes.129},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Is Lindblad for me?
AU  - Martino Stefanini
AU  - Aleksandra A. Ziółkowska
AU  - Dmitry Budker
AU  - Ulrich Poschinger
AU  - Ferdinand Schmidt‐Kaler
AU  - Antoine Browaeys
AU  - Ataç İmamoğlu
AU  - Darrick E. Chang
AU  - Jamir Marino
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/24
JO  - SciPost Physics Lecture Notes
DO  - 10.21468/scipostphyslectnotes.129
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21468/scipostphyslectnotes.129
AB  - The Lindblad master equation is a foundational tool for modeling the dynamics of open quantum systems. As its use has extended far beyond its original domain, the boundaries of its validity have grown opaque. In particular, the rise of new research areas including open quantum many body systems, non-equilibrium condensed matter, and the possibility to test its limits in driven-open quantum simulators, call for a critical revision of its regimes of applicability. In this pedagogical review, we re-examine the folklore surrounding its three standard approximations (Born, Markov, and Rotating Wave Approximation), as we build our narrative by employing a series of examples and case studies accessible to any reader with a solid background on the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. As a synthesis of our work, we offer a checklist that contrasts common lore with refined expectations, offering a practical guideline for assessing the breakdown of the Lindblad framework in the problem at hand.
SN  - 2590-1990
ER  -