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Physical Review B

Minimization of environment-induced decoherence in quantum subsystems and application to solid-state-based quantum gates

Markus Wenin, W. Pötz

Published Oct 21, 2008• 26 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A general formulation of optimal control theory for open quantum systems (quantum subsystems) based on a superoperator method is presented. This approach is applied to a computation of optimized time-dependent fields for solid-state-based realizations of quantum gates. Decoherence is incorporated within the spin-boson model and treated within, essentially, the Bloch-Redfield formalism. Generating a ``decoherence-free subspace'' for the superoperator dynamically, we identify optimal trajectories in the phase space of the dynamical system for one- and two-qubit subsystems. Numerical analysis shows that, for the ideal case where one has full control over the subsystem's Hamiltonian, any gate operation can be realized with arbitrary small loss of coherence due to dephasing and optimal solutions exist which are independent of both spectral density and the temperature of the environment. At the example of a Josephson charge quantum gate we study the more realistic situation where one has a restricted number of control fields which, while providing a universal gate, cannot completely eliminate dephasing.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.78.165118

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A general formulation of optimal control theory for open quantum systems (quantum subsystems) based on a superoperator method is presented. This approach is applied to a computation of optimized time-dependent fields for solid-state-based realizations of quantum gates. Decoherence is incorporated within the spin-boson model and treated within, essentially, the Bloch-Redfield formalism. Generating a ``decoherence-free subspace'' for the superoperator dynamically, we identify optimal trajectories in the phase space of the dynamical system for one- and two-qubit subsystems. Numerical analysis shows that, for the ideal case where one has full control over the subsystem's Hamiltonian, any gate operation can be realized with arbitrary small loss of coherence due to dephasing and optimal solutions exist which are independent of both spectral density and the temperature of the environment. At the example of a Josephson charge quantum gate we study the more realistic situation where one has a restricted number of control fields which, while providing a universal gate, cannot completely eliminate dephasing.
This article provides a review of recent developments in the formulation and execution of optimal control strategies for the dynamics of quantum systems. A brief introduction to the concept of optimal control, the dynamics of of open quantum systems, and quantum information processing is followed by a presentation of recent developments regarding the two main tasks in this context: state-specific and state-independent optimal control. For the former, we present an extension of conventional theory (Pontryagin's principle) to quantum systems which undergo a non-Markovian time-evolution. Owing to its importance for the realization of quantum information processing, the main body of the review, however, is devoted to state-independent optimal control. Here, we address three different approaches: an approach which treats dissipative effects from the environment in lowest-order perturbation theory, a general method based on the time--evolution superoperator concept, as well as one based on the Kraus representation of the time-evolution superoperator. Applications which illustrate these new methods focus on single and double qubits (quantum gates) whereby the environment is modeled either within the Lindblad equation or a bath of bosons (spin-boson model). While these approaches are widely applicable, we shall focus our attention to solid-state based physical realizations, such as semiconductor- and superconductor-based systems. While an attempt is made to reference relevant and representative work throughout the community, the exposition will focus mainly on work which has emerged from our own group.
A Markovian master equation describing the evolution of open quantum systems in the presence of a time-dependent external field is derived within the Bloch-Redfield formalism. It leads to a system-bath interaction which depends on the control field. Optimal control theory is used to select control fields which allow accelerated or decelerated system relaxation, or suppression of relaxation (dissipation) altogether, depending on the dynamics we impose on the quantum system. The control-dissipation correlation and the nonperturbative treatment of the control field are essential for reaching this goal. The optimal control problem is formulated within Pontryagin's minimum principle and the resulting optimal differential system is solved numerically. As an application, we study the dynamics of a spin-boson model in the strong coupling regime under the influence of an external control field. We show how trapping the system in unstable quantum states and transfer of population can be achieved by optimized control of the dissipative quantum system. We also used optimal control theory to find the driving field that generates the quantum ZZZ gate. In several cases studied, we find that the selected optimal field which reduces the purity loss significantly is a multicomponent low-frequency field including higher harmonics, all of which lie below the phonon cutoff frequency. Finally, in the undriven case we present an analytic result for the Lamb shift at zero temperature.
An optimal quantum algorithm for "direct characterization of quantum dynamics" (DCQD) is introduced. The DCQD method can be utilized to completely determine the quantum dynamical superoperator acting on an open quantum system. In contrast to all other known quantum process tomography (QPT) schemes, this scheme relies on error-detection techniques and does not require any quantum state tomography. By analysis of the number of required experimental configurations and quantum operations in a given Hilbert space, it is demonstrated that this approach is more efficient than all other known QPT schemes. DCQD can be applied, by construction, to the task of partial characterization of quantum dynamics. Specifically, it is demonstrated that the DCQD algorithm can be efficiently used for Hamiltonian identification, and also for simultaneous determination of both the relaxation time T1 and dephasing time T2. Furthermore, it is argued that the DCQD scheme is experimentally implementable in a variety of prominent quantum information processing systems, and it is explicitly shown how it can be physically realized in photonic systems with present day technology. The ability of a quantum system to perform arbitrary or "universal" quantum operations is restricted to its naturally available/controllable interactions. It is shown that quantum systems with an effective exchange interaction can be made operationally universal by utilizing a subspace or a subsystem of the combined principal system and an auxiliary system. Moreover, it is demonstrated that universal fault-tolerant quantum computation can be performed on these systems without utilizing any form of single-qubit control. Characterization and control of open quantum systems are among the central and fundamental problems in quantum physics. A crucial primitive is the characterization of the dynamics of a quantum system that has an unknown interaction with its embedding environment. Another essential task is to control the decoherence of an open quantum system by using naturally available interactions. This thesis addresses the above fundamental problems in two separate parts. In the first part, a general theory for direct and complete characterization of quantum dynamics is introduced. In the second part, a scheme for performing arbitrary quantum operations on spin-based quantum systems is presented. This scheme can be implemented in the presence of environmental noise and faulty quantum operations without need to control the state of spins individually.
Methods of optimal control are applied to a model system of interacting two-level particles (e.g., spin-half atomic nuclei or electrons or two-level atoms) to produce high-fidelity quantum gates while simultaneously negating the detrimental effect of decoherence. One set of particles functions as the quantum information processor, whose evolution is controlled by a time-dependent external field. The other particles are not directly controlled and serve as an effective environment, coupling to which is the source of decoherence. The control objective is to generate target one- and two-qubit unitary gates in the presence of strong environmentally-induced decoherence and under physically motivated restrictions on the control field. The quantum-gate fidelity, expressed in terms of a novel state-independent distance measure, is maximized with respect to the control field using combined genetic and gradient algorithms. The resulting high-fidelity gates demonstrate the feasibility of precisely guiding the quantum evolution via optimal control, even when the system complexity is exacerbated by environmental coupling. It is found that the gate duration has an important effect on the control mechanism and resulting fidelity. An analysis of the sensitivity of the gate performance to random variations in the system parameters reveals a significant degree of robustness attained by the optimal control solutions.
Decoherence is inevitable when manipulating quantum systems. It decreases the quality of quantum manipulations and thus is one of the main obstacles for large-scale quantum computation, where high-fidelity quantum gates are needed. Generally, the longer a gate operation is, the more decoherence-induced gate infidelity will be. Therefore, how to shorten the gate time becomes an urgent problem to be solved. To this end, time-optimal control based on solving the quantum brachistochrone equation is a straightforward solution. Here, based on time-optimal control, we propose a scheme to realize universal quantum gates on superconducting qubits in a two-dimensional square lattice configuration, and the two-qubit gate fidelity approaches 99.999.9%99.9. Meanwhile, we can further accelerate the ZZZ-axis gate considerably by adjusting the detuning of the external driving. Finally, in order to reduce the influence of the dephasing error, decoherence-free subspace encoding is also incorporated in our physical implementation. Therefore, we present a fast quantum scheme which is promising for large-scale quantum computation.
Methods of optimal control are applied to a model system of interacting two-level particles (e.g., spin-half atomic nuclei or electrons or two-level atoms) to produce high-fidelity quantum gates while simultaneously negating the detrimental effect of decoherence. One set of particles functions as the quantum information processor, whose evolution is controlled by a time-dependent external field. The other particles are not directly controlled and serve as an effective environment, coupling to which is the source of decoherence. The control objective is to generate target one- and two-qubit unitary gates in the presence of strong environmentally-induced decoherence and under physically motivated restrictions on the control field. The quantum-gate fidelity, expressed in terms of a novel state-independent distance measure, is maximized with respect to the control field using combined genetic and gradient algorithms. The resulting high-fidelity gates demonstrate the feasibility of precisely guiding the quantum evolution via the optimal control, even when the system complexity is exacerbated by environmental coupling. It is found that the gate duration has an important effect on the control mechanism and resulting fidelity. An analysis of the sensitivity of the gate performance to random variations in the system parameters reveals a significant degree of robustness attained by the optimal control solutions.