Quantum Simulation of Markovian and non-Markovian channel addition on NISQ devices and in the Quantum Optics Lab

Studying memory effects in quantum channels helps develop characterization methods for open quantum systems and strategies for quantum error correction. Two main sets of channels exist, corresponding to system dynamics with no memory (Markovian) and with memory (non-Markovian). Interestingly, these sets have a nonconvex geometry, allowing one to form a channel with memory from the addition of memoryless channels and vice versa. Here, we use the NISQ device and photonic set-up to investigate this nonconvexity by subjecting a single qubit to a convex combination of Markovian and non-Markovian channels. Our results highlight some practical considerations that may need to be considered when using memory criteria to study system dynamics given by the addition of Markovian and non-Markovian channels in experiments.