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arXiv:2008.13691 · IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control

Robust Control Performance for Open Quantum Systems

S. G. Schirmer, Frank C. Langbein, Carrie Ann Weidner, EDMOND A. JONCKHEERE

Published Nov 1, 2022• 23 citations
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Abstract

Robust performance of control schemes for open quantum systems is investigated under classical uncertainties in the generators of the dynamics and nonclassical uncertainties due to decoherence and initial state preparation errors. A formalism is developed to measure performance based on the transmission of a dynamic perturbation or initial state preparation error to the quantum state error. This makes it possible to apply tools from classical robust control, such as structured singular value analysis. A difficulty arising from the singularity of the closed-loop Bloch equations for the quantum state is overcome by introducing the #-inversion lemma, a specialized version of the matrix inversion lemma. Under some conditions, this guarantees continuity of the structured singular value at$s = 0$. Additional difficulties occur when symmetry gives rise to multiple open-loop poles, which under symmetry-breaking unfold into single eigenvalues. The concepts are applied to systems subject to pure decoherence and a general dissipative system example of two qubits in a leaky cavity under laser driving fields and spontaneous emission. A nonclassical performance index, steady-state entanglement quantified by the concurrence, a nonlinear function of the system state, is introduced. Simulations confirm a conflict between entanglement, its log-sensitivity and stability margin under decoherence.

DOI
10.1109/tac.2022.3181249

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Robust performance of control schemes for open quantum systems is investigated under classical uncertainties in the generators of the dynamics and nonclassical uncertainties due to decoherence and initial state preparation errors. A formalism is developed to measure performance based on the transmission of a dynamic perturbation or initial state preparation error to the quantum state error. This makes it possible to apply tools from classical robust control, such as structured singular value analysis. A difficulty arising from the singularity of the closed-loop Bloch equations for the quantum state is overcome by introducing the #-inversion lemma, a specialized version of the matrix inversion lemma. Under some conditions, this guarantees continuity of the structured singular value ats=0s = 0s=0. Additional difficulties occur when symmetry gives rise to multiple open-loop poles, which under symmetry-breaking unfold into single eigenvalues. The concepts are applied to systems subject to pure decoherence and a general dissipative system example of two qubits in a leaky cavity under laser driving fields and spontaneous emission. A nonclassical performance index, steady-state entanglement quantified by the concurrence, a nonlinear function of the system state, is introduced. Simulations confirm a conflict between entanglement, its log-sensitivity and stability margin under decoherence.
We study the problem of robust performance of quantum systems under structured uncertainties. A specific feature of closed (Hamiltonian) quantum systems is that their poles lie on the imaginary axis and that neither a coherent controller nor physically relevant structured uncertainties can alter this situation. This changes for open systems where decoherence ensures asymptotic stability and creates a unique landscape of pure performance robustness, with the distinctive feature that closed-loop stability is secured by the underlying physics and needs not be enforced. This stability, however, is often detrimental to quantum-enhanced performance, and additive perturbations of the Hamiltonian give rise to dynamic generators that are nonlinear in the perturbed parameters, invalidating classical paradigms to assess robustness to structured perturbations such as singular value analysis. This problem is addressed using a fixed-point iteration approach to determine a maximum perturbation strength δmaxthat ensures that the transfer function remains bounded, ║Tδ║−1for δmax.
Development of robust quantum control has been challenging and there are numerous obstacles to applying classical robust control to quantum system including bilinearity, marginal stability, state preparation errors, nonlinear figures of merit. The requirement of marginal stability, while not satisfied for closed quantum systems, can be satisfied for open quantum systems where Lindbladian behavior leads to non-unitary evolution, and allows for nonzero classical stability margins, but it remains difficult to extract physical insight when classical robust control tools are applied to these systems. We consider a straightforward example of the entanglement between two qubits dissipatively coupled to a lossy cavity and analyze it using the classical stability margin and structured perturbations. We attempt, where possible, to extract physical insight from these analyses. Our aim is to highlight where classical robust control can assist in the analysis of quantum systems and identify areas where more work needs to be done to develop specific methods for quantum robust control.
Dynamic control via optimized, piecewise-constant pulses is a common paradigm for open-loop control to implement quantum gates. While numerous methods exist for the synthesis of such controls, there are many open questions regarding the robustness of the resulting control schemes in the presence of model uncertainty; unlike in classical control, there are generally no analytical guarantees on the control performance with respect to inexact modeling of the system. In this paper, a new robustness measure based on the differential sensitivity of the gate fidelity error to parametric (structured) uncertainties is introduced, and bounds on the differential sensitivity to parametric uncertainties are used to establish performance guarantees for optimal controllers for a variety of quantum gate types, system sizes, and control implementations. Specifically, it is shown how a maximum allowable perturbation over a set of Hamiltonian uncertainties that guarantees a given fidelity error can be reliably computed. This measure of robustness is inversely proportional to the upper bound on the differential sensitivity of the fidelity error evaluated under nominal operating conditions. Finally, the results show that the nominal fidelity error and differential sensitivity upper bound are positively correlated across a wide range of problems and control implementations, suggesting that in the high-fidelity control regime, rather than there being a trade-off between fidelity and robustness, higher nominal gate fidelities are positively correlated with increased robustness of the controls in the presence of parametric uncertainties.
Dynamic control via optimized, piecewise-constant pulses is a common paradigm for open-loop control to implement quantum gates. While numerous methods exist for the synthesis of such controls, there are many open questions regarding the robustness of the resulting control schemes in the presence of model uncertainty; unlike in classical control, there are generally no analytical guarantees on the control performance with respect to inexact modeling of the system. In this paper a new robustness measure based on the differential sensitivity of the gate fidelity error to parametric (structured) uncertainties is introduced, and bounds on the differential sensitivity to parametric uncertainties are used to establish performance guarantees for optimal controllers for a variety of quantum gate types, system sizes, and control implementations. Specifically, it is shown how a maximum allowable perturbation over a set of Hamiltonian uncertainties that guarantees a given fidelity error, can be reliably computed. This measure of robustness is inversely proportional to the upper bound on the differential sensitivity of the fidelity error evaluated under nominal operating conditions. Finally, the results show that the nominal fidelity error and differential sensitivity upper bound are positively correlated across a wide range of problems and control implementations, suggesting that in the high-fidelity control regime, rather than there being a trade-off between fidelity and robustness, higher nominal gate fidelities are positively correlated with increased robustness of the controls in the presence of parametric uncertainties.
Control of quantum systems via time-varying external fields optimized to maximize a fidelity measure at a given time is a mainstay in modern quantum control. However, save for specific systems, current analysis techniques for such quantum controllers provide no analytical robustness guarantees. In this letter we provide analytical bounds on the differential sensitivity of the gate fidelity error to structured uncertainties for a closed quantum system controlled by piecewise-constant, optimal control fields. We additionally determine those uncertainty structures that result in this worst-case maximal sensitivity. We then use these differential sensitivity bounds to provide conditions that guarantee performance, quantified by the fidelity error, in the face of parameter uncertainty.
Control of quantum systems via time-varying external fields optimized to maximize a fidelity measure at a given time is a mainstay in modern quantum control. However, save for specific systems, current analysis techniques for such quantum controllers provide no analytical robustness guarantees. In this letter we provide analytical bounds on the differential sensitivity of the gate fidelity error to structured uncertainties for a closed quantum system controlled by piecewise-constant, optimal control fields. We additionally determine those uncertainty structures that result in this worst-case maximal sensitivity. We then use these differential sensitivity bounds to provide conditions that guarantee performance, quantified by the fidelity error, in the face of parameter uncertainty.