Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:0710.0075 · Physical Review A

Elliptic functions and efficient control of Ising spin chains with unequal couplings

Haidong Yuan, Robert Zeier, Navin Khaneja

Published Mar 25, 2008• 35 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In this article, we study optimal control of dynamics of a linear chain of three spin $1∕2$, weakly coupled with unequal Ising couplings. We address the problem of time-optimal synthesis of multiple spin quantum coherences. We derive time-optimal pulse sequences for creating desired spin order by computing geodesics on a sphere under a special metric. The solution to the geodesic equation is related to the nonlinear oscillator equation and the minimum time to create multiple spin order can be expressed in terms of an elliptic integral. These techniques are used for efficient creation of multiple spin coherences in Ising spin chains with unequal couplings.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.77.032340

Related papers

Geodesics for efficient creation and propagation of order along Ising spin chains

Haidong Yuan, Steffen J. Glaser, Navin Khaneja

Experiments in coherent nuclear and electron magnetic resonance, and optical spectroscopy correspond to control of quantum mechanical ensembles, guiding them from initial to final target states by unitary transformations. The control inputs (pulse sequences) that accomplish these unitary transformations should take as little time as possible so as to minimize the effects of relaxation and decoherence and to optimize the sensitivity of the experiments. Here we give efficient syntheses of various unitary transformations on Ising spin chains of arbitrary length. The efficient realization of the unitary transformations presented here is obtained by computing geodesics on a sphere under a special metric. We show that contrary to the conventional belief, it is possible to propagate a spin order along an Ising spin chain with coupling strength $J$ (in units of Hz), significantly faster than ${(2J)}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ per step. The methods presented here are expected to be useful for immediate and future applications involving control of spin dynamics in coherent spectroscopy and quantum information processing.

arXiv:0705.0378•Physical Review A•Jul 17, 2007•26 citations

Shortest paths for efficient control of indirectly coupled qubits

Navin Khaneja, Björn Heitmann, Andreas K. Spörl +3 more

What is the time-optimal way of realizing quantum operations? Here, we show how important instances of this problem can be related to the study of shortest paths on the surface of a sphere under a special metric. Specifically, we provide an efficient synthesis of a controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate between qubits (spins $\frac{1}{2}$) coupled indirectly via Ising-type couplings to a third spin. Our implementation of the CNOT gate is significantly shorter than conventional approaches. The pulse sequences for efficient manipulation of our coupled spin system are obtained by explicit computation of geodesics on a sphere under the special metric. These methods are also used for the efficient synthesis of indirect couplings and of the Toffoli gate. We provide experimental realizations of the presented methods on a linear three-spin chain with Ising couplings.

Physical Review A•Jan 22, 2007•63 citations

Application of the Pontryagin maximum principle to the time-optimal control in a chain of three spins with unequal couplings

Léo Van Damme, Robert Zeier, Steffen J. Glaser +1 more

We solve a time-optimal control problem in a linear chain of three coupled spins 1/2 with unequal couplings. We apply the Pontryagin maximum principle and show that the associated Hamiltonian system is the one of a three-dimensional rigid body. We express the optimal control fields in terms of the components of the classical angular momentum of the rigid body. The optimal trajectories and the minimum control time are given in terms of elliptic functions and elliptic integrals.

Physical Review A•Jul 10, 2014•20 citations

Multiple-spin coherence transfer in linear Ising spin chains and beyond: Numerically optimized pulses and experiments

Manoj Nimbalkar, Robert Zeier, Jorge Luiz Neves +5 more

We study multiple-spin coherence transfers in linear Ising spin chains with nearest-neighbor couplings. These constitute a model for efficient information transfers in future quantum computing devices and for many multidimensional experiments for the assignment of complex spectra in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We complement prior analytic techniques for multiple-spin coherence transfers with a systematic numerical study where we obtain strong evidence that a certain analytically motivated family of restricted controls is sufficient for time optimality. In the case of a linear three-spin system, additional evidence suggests that prior analytic pulse sequences using this family of restricted controls are time optimal even for arbitrary local controls. In addition, we compare the pulse sequences for linear Ising spin chains to pulse sequences for more realistic spin systems with additional long-range couplings between nonadjacent spins. We experimentally implement the derived pulse sequences in three- and four-spin systems and demonstrate that they are applicable in realistic settings under relaxation and experimental imperfections---in particular---by deriving broadband pulse sequences which are robust with respect to frequency offsets.

arXiv:1110.5262•Physical Review A•Jan 24, 2012•27 citations

Sub-Riemannian geometry and time optimal control of three spin systems: Quantum gates and coherence transfer

Navin Khaneja, Steffen J. Glaser, Roger W. Brockett

Radio-frequency pulses are used in nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy to produce unitary transfer of states. Pulse sequences that accomplish a desired transfer should be as short as possible in order to minimize the effects of relaxation, and to optimize the sensitivity of the experiments. Many coherence-transfer experiments in NMR, involving a network of coupled spins, use temporary spin decoupling to produce desired effective Hamiltonians. In this paper, we demonstrate that significant time can be saved in producing an effective Hamiltonian if spin decoupling is avoided. We provide time-optimal pulse sequences for producing an important class of effective Hamiltonians in three-spin networks. These effective Hamiltonians are useful for coherence-transfer experiments in three-spin systems and implementation of indirect swap and ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{2}(U)$ gates in the context of NMR quantum computing. It is shown that computing these time-optimal pulses can be reduced to geometric problems that involve computing sub-Riemannian geodesics. Using these geometric ideas, explicit expressions for the minimum time required for producing these effective Hamiltonians, transfer of coherence, and implementation of indirect swap gates, in a three-spin network are derived (Theorems 1 and 2). It is demonstrated that geometric control techniques provide a systematic way of finding time-optimal pulse sequences for transferring coherence and synthesizing unitary transformations in quantum networks, with considerable time savings (e.g., 42.3% for constructing indirect swap gates).

arXiv:quant-ph/0106099•Physical Review A•Jan 30, 2002•245 citations

Time optimal control of spin systems with unequal coupling

Haidong Yuan, Navin Khaneja

In this article, we study the problem of time optimal manipulation of dynamics of coupled spins in NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy and quantum information processing. In particular, we analyze the system of three linearly coupled spins with unequal couplings. We give time optimal control laws for steering the state of the spins between points that are of significance in coherent spectroscopy

IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC)•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations
In this article, we study optimal control of dynamics of a linear chain of three spin 1∕21∕21∕2, weakly coupled with unequal Ising couplings. We address the problem of time-optimal synthesis of multiple spin quantum coherences. We derive time-optimal pulse sequences for creating desired spin order by computing geodesics on a sphere under a special metric. The solution to the geodesic equation is related to the nonlinear oscillator equation and the minimum time to create multiple spin order can be expressed in terms of an elliptic integral. These techniques are used for efficient creation of multiple spin coherences in Ising spin chains with unequal couplings.
Experiments in coherent nuclear and electron magnetic resonance, and optical spectroscopy correspond to control of quantum mechanical ensembles, guiding them from initial to final target states by unitary transformations. The control inputs (pulse sequences) that accomplish these unitary transformations should take as little time as possible so as to minimize the effects of relaxation and decoherence and to optimize the sensitivity of the experiments. Here we give efficient syntheses of various unitary transformations on Ising spin chains of arbitrary length. The efficient realization of the unitary transformations presented here is obtained by computing geodesics on a sphere under a special metric. We show that contrary to the conventional belief, it is possible to propagate a spin order along an Ising spin chain with coupling strength JJJ (in units of Hz), significantly faster than ${(2J)}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ per step. The methods presented here are expected to be useful for immediate and future applications involving control of spin dynamics in coherent spectroscopy and quantum information processing.
What is the time-optimal way of realizing quantum operations? Here, we show how important instances of this problem can be related to the study of shortest paths on the surface of a sphere under a special metric. Specifically, we provide an efficient synthesis of a controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate between qubits (spins 12\frac{1}{2}21​) coupled indirectly via Ising-type couplings to a third spin. Our implementation of the CNOT gate is significantly shorter than conventional approaches. The pulse sequences for efficient manipulation of our coupled spin system are obtained by explicit computation of geodesics on a sphere under the special metric. These methods are also used for the efficient synthesis of indirect couplings and of the Toffoli gate. We provide experimental realizations of the presented methods on a linear three-spin chain with Ising couplings.
We study multiple-spin coherence transfers in linear Ising spin chains with nearest-neighbor couplings. These constitute a model for efficient information transfers in future quantum computing devices and for many multidimensional experiments for the assignment of complex spectra in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We complement prior analytic techniques for multiple-spin coherence transfers with a systematic numerical study where we obtain strong evidence that a certain analytically motivated family of restricted controls is sufficient for time optimality. In the case of a linear three-spin system, additional evidence suggests that prior analytic pulse sequences using this family of restricted controls are time optimal even for arbitrary local controls. In addition, we compare the pulse sequences for linear Ising spin chains to pulse sequences for more realistic spin systems with additional long-range couplings between nonadjacent spins. We experimentally implement the derived pulse sequences in three- and four-spin systems and demonstrate that they are applicable in realistic settings under relaxation and experimental imperfections---in particular---by deriving broadband pulse sequences which are robust with respect to frequency offsets.
Radio-frequency pulses are used in nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectroscopy to produce unitary transfer of states. Pulse sequences that accomplish a desired transfer should be as short as possible in order to minimize the effects of relaxation, and to optimize the sensitivity of the experiments. Many coherence-transfer experiments in NMR, involving a network of coupled spins, use temporary spin decoupling to produce desired effective Hamiltonians. In this paper, we demonstrate that significant time can be saved in producing an effective Hamiltonian if spin decoupling is avoided. We provide time-optimal pulse sequences for producing an important class of effective Hamiltonians in three-spin networks. These effective Hamiltonians are useful for coherence-transfer experiments in three-spin systems and implementation of indirect swap and ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{2}(U)$ gates in the context of NMR quantum computing. It is shown that computing these time-optimal pulses can be reduced to geometric problems that involve computing sub-Riemannian geodesics. Using these geometric ideas, explicit expressions for the minimum time required for producing these effective Hamiltonians, transfer of coherence, and implementation of indirect swap gates, in a three-spin network are derived (Theorems 1 and 2). It is demonstrated that geometric control techniques provide a systematic way of finding time-optimal pulse sequences for transferring coherence and synthesizing unitary transformations in quantum networks, with considerable time savings (e.g., 42.3% for constructing indirect swap gates).