[OCQT Seminar] Decoherence as Algebraic Contraction

OIST Centre for Quantum Technologies (OCQT) Seminar

The OIST Center for Quantum Technologies (OCQT) is pleased to invite you to the next installment of the OCQT Seminar Series. This time, we are excited to host Dr. Frank Barrows from Los Alamos National Laboratory (USA), who will deliver a talk entitled:
“Decoherence as Algebraic Contraction”

Date and time

Tuesday, June 2, 2026, 13:30–15:00

13:30–14:00 — Networking with coffee and sweets
14:00–15:00 — Seminar

Location

Seminar Room L4E01 (Lab 4, Level E)

Abstract

We study decoherence in open quantum systems from an operator-algebraic perspective. Partial isometries in an observable algebra naturally define directed edges between classical pointer states, and we derive an exact identity showing that any edge incompatible with the environment contracts irreversibly under Lindblad evolution. In the long-time limit, this forces convergence to a commutative pointer algebra, and Quantum Darwinism-like redundancy emerges as a consequence rather than an assumption.

Biography

Frank Barrows is a Staff Scientist in the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He received a PhD in Physics and an MD from Northwestern University. His research sits at the intersection of neuromorphic computing, quantum dynamics, non-equilibrium physics, and operator-algebraic methods. He studies how physical systems compute, learn, and store information through their native dynamics.