Quantum-imaginarity-based quantum speed limit
Phys. Rev. A 112, 052202 – Published 3 November, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/s7kr-8rrn
Abstract
The quantum speed limit sets a fundamental restriction on the evolution time of quantum systems. We explore the relationship between quantum imaginarity and the quantum speed limit by utilizing measures such as relative entropy, trace distance, and geometric imaginarity. These speed limits define the fundamental constraints on the minimum time necessary for quantum systems to evolve under various dynamical processes. As applications, the dephasing dynamics and dissipative dynamics are analyzed in detail. The quantum speed limit in stochastic-approximate transformations is also investigated. Our quantum speed limits provide lower bounds on how fast a physical system evolves to attain or lose certain imaginarity, with potential applications in efficient quantum computation designs, quantum control, and quantum sensing.
