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arXiv:2112.01279 · Physical Review A

Robust quantum control using hybrid pulse engineering

M. Harshanth Ram, V. R. Krithika, Priya Batra, T. S. Mahesh

Published Apr 28, 2022• 16 citations
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Abstract

The development of efficient algorithms that generate robust quantum controls is crucial for the realization of quantum technologies. The commonly used gradient-based optimization algorithms are limited by their sensitivity to the initial guess, which affects their performance. Here we propose combining the gradient method with the simulated annealing technique to formulate a hybrid algorithm. Our numerical analysis confirms its superior convergence rate. Using the hybrid algorithm, we generate spin-selective $\ensuremath{\pi}$ pulses and employ them for experimental measurement of local noise spectra in a three-qubit nuclear magnetic resonance system. Moreover, here we describe a general method to construct noise-resilient quantum controls by incorporating noisy fields within the optimization routine of the hybrid algorithm. Upon experimental comparison with similar sequences obtained from standard algorithms, we find remarkable robustness of the hybrid sequences against dephasing errors.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.105.042437

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The development of efficient algorithms that generate robust quantum controls is crucial for the realization of quantum technologies. The commonly used gradient-based optimization algorithms are limited by their sensitivity to the initial guess, which affects their performance. Here we propose combining the gradient method with the simulated annealing technique to formulate a hybrid algorithm. Our numerical analysis confirms its superior convergence rate. Using the hybrid algorithm, we generate spin-selective \ensuremathπ\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremathπ pulses and employ them for experimental measurement of local noise spectra in a three-qubit nuclear magnetic resonance system. Moreover, here we describe a general method to construct noise-resilient quantum controls by incorporating noisy fields within the optimization routine of the hybrid algorithm. Upon experimental comparison with similar sequences obtained from standard algorithms, we find remarkable robustness of the hybrid sequences against dephasing errors.
Quantum optimal control can play a crucial role in realizing a set of universal quantum logic gates with error rates below the threshold required for fault tolerance. Open-loop quantum optimal control relies on accurate modeling of the quantum system under control and does not scale efficiently with system size. These problems can be avoided in closed-loop quantum optimal control, which utilizes feedback from the system to improve control fidelity. In this paper, two gradient-based closed-loop quantum optimal control algorithms, the hybrid quantum-classical approach (HQCA) described by Li et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 150503 (2017)] and the finite-difference (FD) method, are experimentally investigated and compared to the open-loop quantum optimal control utilizing the gradient ascent method. We employ a solid-state ensemble of coupled electron-nuclear spins serving as a two-qubit system. Specific single-qubit and two-qubit state preparation gates are optimized using the closed-loop and open-loop methods. The experimental results demonstrate the implemented closed-loop quantum control outperforms the open-loop control in our system. Furthermore, simulations reveal that HQCA is more robust than the FD method to gradient noise which originates from measurement noise in this experimental setting. On the other hand, the FD method is more robust to control field distortions coming from nonideal hardware.
Constructing high-fidelity control pulses that are robust to control and system/environment fluctuations is a crucial objective for quantum information processing (QIP). We combine dynamical decoupling (DD) with optimal control (OC) to identify control pulses that achieve this objective numerically. Previous DD work has shown that general errors up to (but not including) third order can be removed from {pi}- and {pi}/2-pulses without concatenation. By systematically integrating DD and OC, we are able to increase pulse fidelity beyond this limit. Our hybrid method of quantum control incorporates a newly-developed algorithm for robust OC, providing a nested DD-OC approach to generate robust controls. Motivated by solid-state QIP, we also incorporate relevant experimental constraints into this DD-OC formalism. To demonstrate the advantage of our approach, the resulting quantum controls are compared to previous DD results in open and uncertain model systems.
We address the experimentally relevant problem of robust mitigation of dephasing noise acting on a qubit. We first present an extension of the method of Kuopanportti et al. [Phys. Rev. A 77, 032334 (2008)] for representing $1/{\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ noise to the efficient representation of arbitrary Markovian noise. We then add qubit control pulses to enable the design of numerically optimized, two-dimensional, bounded amplitude control functions capable of decoupling the qubit from the dephasing effects of a broad variety of Markovian noise spectral densities during one- and two-qubit quantum operations. We illustrate the method with development of numerically optimized control pulse sequences that minimize decoherence due to a combination of $1/\ensuremath{\omega}$ and constant-offset noise sources. Comparison with the performance of standard dynamical decoupling protocols shows that the numerically optimized pulse sequences are considerably more robust with respect to zero-frequency noise. Application to the mitigation of dephasing noise on spin qubits in silicon indicates that high-fidelity quantum gates may, in principle, be implemented for such qubits with the assistance of current pulse-generation technology.
We address the experimentally relevant problem of robust mitigation of dephasing noise acting on a qubit. We first present an extension of a method for representing 1/ωα1/ω^α1/ωα noise developed by Kuopanportti et al. to the efficient representation of arbitrary Markovian noise. We then add qubit control pulses to enable the design of numerically optimized, two-dimensional control functions with bounded amplitude, that are capable of decoupling the qubit from the dephasing effects of a broad variety of Markovian noise spectral densities during arbitrary one qubit quantum operations. We illustrate the method with development of numerically optimized control pulse sequences that minimize decoherence due to a combination of 1/ω1/ω1/ω and constant offset noise sources. Comparison with the performance of standard dynamical decoupling protocols shows that the numerically optimized pulse sequences are considerably more robust with respect to the noise offset, rendering them attractive for application to situations where homogeneous dephasing noise sources are accompanied by some extent of heterogeneous dephasing. Application to the mitigation of dephasing noise on spin qubits in silicon indicates that high fidelity single qubit gates are possible with current pulse generation technology.
Hybrid quantum-classical algorithms hold great promise for solving quantum control problems on near-term quantum computers. In this work, we employ the hybrid framework that integrates digital quantum simulation with classical optimization to achieve optimal engineering of quantum many-body systems. To evaluate the overall performance of this method, we introduce a general metric termed control optimality, which accounts for constraints on both classical and quantum components. As a concrete example, we investigate the time-optimal control for perfect state transfer in a one-dimensional spin model using the variational quantum algorithm, closely approaching the quantum speed limit. Moreover, we discuss the emergent gradient behavior and error robustness, demonstrating the feasibility of applying hybrid quantum algorithms to solve quantum optimal control problems. These results establish a systematic framework for hybrid algorithms to address quantum control problems on near-term quantum platforms.
Adiabatic quantum operations are ubiquitous in fields such as quantum information processing, quantum control, and magnetic resonance, where their high fidelity and general robustness renders them an essential tool for various applications. This inherent robustness due to adiabaticity can, however, be impaired in cases where the experimental conditions strictly require very fast evolution times. In this thesis, we provide a gradient-based numerical optimization protocol for efficiently engineering adiabatic operations, allowing for the systematic inclusion of robustness criteria against various experimental non-idealities, including inhomogeneities and uncertainties in system parameters, as well as perturbations in the Hamiltonian such as spin-spin interactions. \nThe protocol is implemented in the context of adiabatic passages for magnetic resonance, and \nit is shown that in addition to conventional adiabatic pulses, it can also generate exceptionally fast operations that although slightly deviate from adiabaticity in limited instances, still lead to a high fidelity. \nThe effectiveness of our method for addressing perturbations is also demonstrated by designing a fast adiabatic passage for dipolar-coupled electrons, and numerically comparing its performance with a pulse without such considerations.