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arXiv:2610.00169

Projector Form of the Quantum Brachistochrone and Its Relation to Two-Boundary Quantum Algorithm Design

Masayuki Ohzeki

quant-phSubmitted Sep 15, 2026• Announced Sep 17, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We clarify the relation between the time-optimal quantum evolution of Carlini et al. and the coherent two-boundary optimal-control formulation recently proposed for quantum algorithm design.
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2 pages

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最速量子操作

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We present a general framework for finding the time-optimal quantum evolution inspired by the classical problem called the brachistochrone problem.At first, the time-optimal control problem for achieving a pure state evolution from a given initial state to a desired final state is formulated.We minimize the duration time for this transition by finding the optimal control for the Hamiltonian in an available set subject to a certain constraint dictated by physical conditions.Then, it will be extended to the unitary evolution which has greater relevance for quantum computation.This provides a systematic way to make an efficient unitary gate on a certain physical system.To demonstrate this framework, we choose the anisotropic Heisenberg model and find a general solution.Since it is not always possible to find a general solution for the fundamental equation for the time-optimal control, we introduce the simulated annealing method as a simple numerical method to show that our framework can be used for the system whose general solution cannot be found.The numerical analysis based on the Krotov iteration method is introduced and applied to the time-optimal quantum control problem to solve the problem efficiently.The optimal realization of the quantum Fourier transform for two or more qubit systems are derived.We consider two generalizations of the quantum brachistochrone for mixed state evolutions.One is the unitary evolution with ancilla system ended up with the final measurement on the ancilla.The other is the repetition of measurement or decoherence model which can be represented by the evolution with the master equation in the Lindblad form.Also, the relation between the fidelity to the target and the duration time is considerd.A.4 Quantum speed limit . . . . . . . . .

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Minimum-time quantum control protocols can be obtained from the quantum brachistochrone formalism [Carlini, Hosoya, Koike, and Okudaira, Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 06053, (2006)]. We point out that the original treatment implicitly applied the variational calculus with fixed boundary conditions. We argue that the genuine quantum brachistochrone problem involves a variational problem with a movable endpoint, contrary to the classical brachistochrone problem. This formulation not only simplifies the derivation of the quantum brachistochrone equation but introduces an additional constraint at the endpoint due to the boundary effect. We present the general solution to the full quantum brachistochrone equation and discuss its main features. Using it, we prove that the speed of evolution under constraints is reduced with respect to the unrestricted case. In addition, we find that solving the quantum brachistochrone equation is closely connected to solving the dynamics of the Lagrange multipliers, which is in general governed by nonlinear differential equations. Their numerical integration allows generating time-extremal trajectories. Furthermore, when the restricted operators form a closed subalgebra, the Lagrange multipliers become constant and the optimal Hamiltonian takes a concise form. The new class of analytically solvable models for the quantum brachistochrone problem opens up the possibility of applying it to many-body quantum systems, exploring notions related to geometry such as quantum speed limits, and advancing significantly the quantum state and gate preparation for quantum information processing.
We study the quantum brachistochrone problem for a spin-1 system in a magnetic field of constant absolute value. Such a system gives us the possibility to examine in detail the statement that the state vectors realizing evolution with the minimal time of passage evolve along the subspace spanned by the initial and final state vectors [Carlini et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 060503 (2006); Brody and Hook, J. Phys. A 39, L167 (2006)]. Considering an explicit example, we show the existence of a quantum brachistochrone with the minimal possible time; however, the state vector we study leaves the subspace spanned by the initial and final state vectors during evolution. This is the result of our choice of a more constrained Hamiltonian than the one assumed in the general quantum brachistochrone problem. It is worth noting that such an evolution, being more complicated, is time optimal but with larger time than in the general case. This might be important for experiments, where a general Hamiltonian with all the allowed parameters is difficult to implement, but a constrained one, depending on the magnetic field, can be realized. However, for the preconstrained Hamiltonian not all final states are accessible. The present result does not contradict the general statement of the quantum brachistochrone problem, but gives additional insight into possible realization of the time-optimal passage.
We present a general framework for finding the time-optimal quantum evolution inspired by the classical problem called the brachistochrone problem.At first, the time-optimal control problem for achieving a pure state evolution from a given initial state to a desired final state is formulated.We minimize the duration time for this transition by finding the optimal control for the Hamiltonian in an available set subject to a certain constraint dictated by physical conditions.Then, it will be extended to the unitary evolution which has greater relevance for quantum computation.This provides a systematic way to make an efficient unitary gate on a certain physical system.To demonstrate this framework, we choose the anisotropic Heisenberg model and find a general solution.Since it is not always possible to find a general solution for the fundamental equation for the time-optimal control, we introduce the simulated annealing method as a simple numerical method to show that our framework can be used for the system whose general solution cannot be found.The numerical analysis based on the Krotov iteration method is introduced and applied to the time-optimal quantum control problem to solve the problem efficiently.The optimal realization of the quantum Fourier transform for two or more qubit systems are derived.We consider two generalizations of the quantum brachistochrone for mixed state evolutions.One is the unitary evolution with ancilla system ended up with the final measurement on the ancilla.The other is the repetition of measurement or decoherence model which can be represented by the evolution with the master equation in the Lindblad form.Also, the relation between the fidelity to the target and the duration time is considerd.A.4 Quantum speed limit . . . . . . . . .