Completely positive trace-preserving maps for higher-order unraveling of Lindblad master equations

Theoretical tools used in processing continuous measurement records from real experiments to obtain quantum trajectories can easily lead to numerical errors due to a noninfinitesimal time resolution. In this work we propose a systematic assessment of the accuracy of a map. We perform error analyses for diffusive quantum trajectories, based on single-time-step Kraus operators proposed in the literature, and find the orders in time increments Δt, to which such operators satisfy the conditions for valid average quantum evolution (completely positive, convex linear, and trace preserving), and the orders to which they match the Lindblad solutions. Given these error analyses, we propose a Kraus operator that satisfies the valid average quantum evolution conditions and agrees with the Lindblad master equation, to second order in Δt, thus surpassing all other existing approaches. In order to test how well our proposed operator reproduces exact quantum trajectories, we analyze two examples of qubit measurement, where exact maps can be derived: a qubit subjected to a dispersive (z-basis) measurement and a fluorescence (dissipative) measurement. We show analytically that our proposed operator gives the smallest average trace distance to the exact quantum trajectories compared to existing approaches.