Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2010/iii/paper-50/2/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 50 2 d Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A steady state is attractive here if every physical initial density operator approaches it. Subtracting its Affine Bloch equation from the trajectory equation gives , so . The necessary and sufficient condition isSuch an is a Hurwitz stable matrix. To prove sufficiency without assuming diagonalizability, put it in Jordan normal form. Each Jordan block contributes , and the negative real part makes the exponential dominate all polynomial factors. For necessity, an eigenmode with positive real part grows; an eigenmode with zero real part remains constant or oscillates, so it does not tend to zero. A nontrivial Jordan block on the imaginary axis also prevents decay.
The physical Bloch vector body has nonempty interior, so differences of physical initial vectors from span the full real coordinate space. Thus convergence for every physical initial state also forces on that space. This rules out hiding a nondecaying eigenmode outside the physical set. The strict spectral condition entails uniqueness and global asymptotic stability of the steady state.
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