We introduce the concepts of cohering and de-cohering power of quantum channels. Using the axiomatic defintion of coherence measure, we show that the optimization required for calculations of these measures can be restricted to pure input states and hence greatly simplified. We then use two examples of this measure, one based on the skew information and the other based on l1 norm, we find the cohering and de-cohering measures of a number of one, two and n-qubit channels. Contrary to a view at first sight, it is seen that quantum channels can have cohering power. It is also shown that a specific property of a qubit unitary map, is that it has equal cohering and de-cohering power in any basis. Finally we derive simple relations between cohering and de-cohering powers of unitary qubit gates and their tensor products, results which have physically interesting implications.

The problem of recognizing (non-)Markovianity of a quantum dynamics is revisited through analyzing quantum correlations. We argue that instantaneously-vanishing quantum discord provides a necessary and sufficient condition for Markovianity of a quantum map. This is used to introduce a measure of non-Markovianity. This measure, however, requires demanding knowledge about the system and the environment. By using a quantum correlation monogamy property and an ancillary system, we propose a simplified measure with less requirements. Non-Markovianity is thereby decided by quantum state tomography of the system and the ancilla.

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We characterize the completely positive trace-preserving maps on qutrits (qutrit channels) according to their covariance and symmetry properties. Both discrete and continuous groups are considered. It is shown how each symmetry group restricts arbitrariness in the parameters of the channel to a very small set. Although the explicit examples are related to qutrit channels, the formalism is sufficiently general to be applied to qudit channels.

We show that two parties far apart can use shared entangled states and classical communication to align their coordinate systems with a very high fidelity. Moreover, compared with previous methods proposed for such a task, i.e. sending parallel or anti-parallel pairs or groups of spin states, our method has the extra advantages of using single qubit measurements and also being secure, so that third parties do not extract any information about the aligned coordinate system established between the two parties. The latter property is important in many other quantum information protocols in which measurements inevitably play a significant role.

We investigate the correlation properties of separable two-qubit states with maximally mixed marginals. These states are divided to two sets with the same geometric quantum correlation. However, a closer scrutiny of these states reveals a profound difference between their quantum correlations as measured by more probing measures. Although these two sets of states are prepared by the same type of quantum operations acting on classically correlated states with equal classical correlations, the amount of final quantum correlation is different. We investigate this difference and trace it back to the hidden classical correlation which exists in their preparation process. We also compare these states with regard to their usefulness for entanglement distribution and their robustness against noise.