Abstract We compare the performance of continuous coherent feedback, implemented using an ideal single-qubit controller, to that of continuous measurement-based feedback (MBF) for the task of controlling the state of a single qubit. We take as the basic dynamical resource the ability to couple the system to a quadrature of a traveling-wave field (for example, a transmission line) via a system observable, and the fundamental limitation is the maximum rate that is available for this coupling. We focus on the question of the best achievable control given ideal controllers. To obtain a fair comparison we acknowledge that the amplification involved in measurement-based control allows the controller to use macroscopic fields to apply feedback forces to the system, so it is natural to allow these feedback forces to be much larger than the mesoscopic coupling to the transmission line that mediates both the measurement for measurement-based control and the coupling to the mesoscopic controller for coherent control. Interestingly our numerical results indicate that under the above platform for comparison, coherent feedback can achieve exactly the performance of MBF given ideal controllers. We also discuss two control mechanisms available to coherent feedback.
Abstract We compare the performance of continuous coherent feedback, implemented using an ideal single-qubit controller, to that of continuous measurement-based feedback (MBF) for the task of controlling the state of a single qubit. We take as the basic dynamical resource the ability to couple the system to a quadrature of a traveling-wave field (for example, a transmission line) via a system observable, and the fundamental limitation is the maximum rate that is available for this coupling. We focus on the question of the best achievable control given ideal controllers. To obtain a fair comparison we acknowledge that the amplification involved in measurement-based control allows the controller to use macroscopic fields to apply feedback forces to the system, so it is natural to allow these feedback forces to be much larger than the mesoscopic coupling to the transmission line that mediates both the measurement for measurement-based control and the coupling to the mesoscopic controller for coherent control. Interestingly our numerical results indicate that under the above platform for comparison, coherent feedback can achieve exactly the performance of MBF given ideal controllers. We also discuss two control mechanisms available to coherent feedback.
In quantum mechanics, standard or strong measurement approaches generally result in the collapse of an ensemble of wavefunctions into a stochastic mixture of eigenstates. On the other hand, continuous or weak measurements have the propensity to dynamically control the evolution of quantum states over time, guiding the trajectory of the state into non-trivial superpositions and maintaining state purity. This kind of measurement-induced state steering is of great theoretical and experimental interest for the harnessing of quantum bits or "qubits", which are the fundamental unit of the emerging quantum computer. We explore continuous measurement-based quantum state stabilization through linear feedback control for a single quantum bit. By applying a time-varying Rabi drive that includes a linear feedback term, we show that the fixed points of the continuous measurement may be relocated. Analytical derivations of Itô Stochastic Master Equations being ideal models, we employ them to derive the projected ensemble average while utilizing numerical simulations to characterize the stability of the set of possible fixed points, as well as their modified collapse time-scales. We include the effects of realistic experimental non-idealities, such as environmental energy relaxation, dephasing, time-delay, and inefficient measurement. Ultimately, we discuss potential experimental implementations from collaborating universities.
We introduce a general framework, based on collision models and discrete completely positive maps, to describe on an equal footing coherent and measurement-based feedback control of quantum mechanical systems. We apply our framework to prominent tasks in quantum control, ranging from cooling to Hamiltonian control. Unlike other proposed comparisons, where coherent feedback always proves superior, we find that either measurements or coherent manipulations of the controller can be advantageous depending on the task at hand. Measurement-based feedback is typically superior in cooling, while coherent feedback is better at assisting quantum operations. Furthermore, we show that both coherent and measurement-based feedback loops allow one to simulate arbitrary Hamiltonian evolutions, and discuss their respective effectiveness in this regard.
The subject of controlling quantum systems is not new, but concepts that have been introduced in the last decade and a half, especially that of coherent feedback, suggest new questions that broaden and deepen the field. Here we provide a concise overview and definition of quantum feedback control, both coherent and measurement-based, and discuss its relationship to "standard" time-dependent control; there is a sense in which the latter subsumes the rest. There are many open questions within quantum control and its subfields, and we highlight and discuss some of them here. These questions are of theoretical as well as practical interest: the answers will help to determine the relative power of the different methods of control, and the limits to our ability to control quantum systems imposed by available resources.
We present a generic unraveling scheme for a detailed-balance-preserved quantum master equation applicable for stochastic point processes in mesoscopic transport. It enables us to investigate continuous measurement of a qubit on the level of single quantum trajectories, where essential correlations between the inherent dynamics of the qubit and detector current fluctuations are revealed. Based on this unraveling scheme, feedback control of the charge qubit is implemented to achieve a desired pure state in the presence of the detailed-balance condition. With sufficient feedback strength, coherent oscillations of the measured qubit can be maintained for arbitrary qubit-detector coupling. Competition between the loss and restoration of coherence entailed, respectively, by measurement back action and feedback control is reflected in the noise power spectrum of the detector's output. It is demonstrated unambiguously that the signal-to-noise ratio is significantly enhanced with increasing feedback strength and could even exceed the well-known Korotkov-Averin bound in quantum measurement. The proposed unraveling and feedback scheme offers a transparent and straightforward approach to effectively sustaining ideal coherent oscillations of a charge qubit in the field of quantum computation.
Feedback is the core concept in cybernetics and its effective use has made great success in but not limited to the fields of engineering, biology, and computer science. When feedback is used to quantum systems, two major types of feedback control protocols including coherent feedback control (CFC) and measurement-based feedback control (MFC) have been developed. In this paper, we compare the two types of quantum feedback control protocols by focusing on the real-time information used in the feedback loop and the capability in dealing with parameter uncertainty. An equivalent relationship is established between quantum CFC and non-selective quantum MFC in the form of operator-sum representation. Using several examples of quantum feedback control, we show that quantum MFC can theoretically achieve better performance than quantum CFC in stabilizing a quantum state and dealing with Hamiltonian parameter uncertainty. The results enrich understanding of the relative advantages between quantum MFC and quantum CFC, and can provide useful information in choosing suitable feedback protocols for quantum systems.
Quantum engineering has seen rapid growth in the past two decades. Physicists, mathematicians and engineers have been working in unison to control a number of diverse systems in the quantum regime. Quantum control involving feedback has become particularly topical, as using information gained from a system can lead to more stable operation of a control protocol. Quantum feedback can be split into two paradigms: measurement based feedback and coherent feedback. Although it is increasingly evident that retaining the coherence of the feedback signal provides an intrinsic advantage over measurement-based feedback, coherent feedback is still a new paradigm. In particular, there are a limited number of options for coherently estimating a state within a feedback loop. As a step towards better understanding and implementation of quantum feedback, this thesis reports on modelling, estimation and control of quantum systems. The first topic is physical realisability of a variety of quantum systems, especially finite level systems and their outgrowths. Bilinear quantum stochastic differential equations (QSDEs) have to be employed to characterise these systems, which is a significant complement to the previous work on linear QSDEs. In light of the fact that direct and indirect couplings play a vital role in quantum network and control, we also provide state-space models for different classes of coupled open quantum systems incorporating both bidirectional and directional interactions. The second topic is coherent observers and optimal filtering. It is well established that classically estimation using the Kalman filter can provide improved performance over direct feedback schemes, and similar demonstrations have been performed for measurement-based quantum feedback. In this thesis I present coherent observers, including least mean squares estimators, which are driven by the coherent output of a specified quantum plant and designed such that some subset of the observer and plant's expectation values converge in the asymptotic limit. Not only can estimators "observe" mean quantities of quantum plant, but also they can "estimate" quantum correlations such as entanglement. This is of much importance to coherent feedback design in the absence of measurement steps without loss of fidelity. Last but not least, several topics regarding stabilisation and control design of quantum systems are discussed in my thesis. To be specific, tools for quantum stability analysis (e.g. Lyapunov conditions) are provided. Both measurement-based feedback and coherent feedback control design are taken into account. A measurement-based optimal controller for opto-mechanical systems aimed at synchronising different mechanical modes is presented, which is application-oriented. Moreover, A general observer-based coherent feedback control framework is studied, and I demonstrate a pole-placement approach via coherent observers that can be applied to various scenarios.