The degree of non-Markovianity of quantum processes has been characterized in several different ways in the recent literature. However, the relationship between the non-Markovian behavior and the flow of information between the system and the environment through an entropic measure has not been yet established. We propose an entanglement-based measure of non-Markovianity by employing the concept of assisted knowledge, where the environment $\mathcal{E}$, acquires information about a system $\mathcal{S}$, by means of its measurement apparatus $\mathcal{A}$. The assisted knowledge, based on the accessible information in terms of von Neumann entropy, monotonically increases in time for all Markovian quantum processes. We demonstrate that the signatures of non-Markovianity can be captured by the nonmonotonic behavior of the assisted knowledge. We explore this scenario for a two-level system undergoing a relaxation process, through an experimental implementation using an optical approach that allows full access to the state of the environment.

• Received 21 March 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.210402