PAMM
Time optimal factorizations on compact Lie groups
Gunther Dirr, Uwe Helmke B, Martin Kleinsteuber
Abstract
Abstract In this paper we study the relationship between factorization problems on SU(2n) or more generally on compact Lie groups G and time optimal control problems. Both types of problems naturally arise in physics, such as in quantum computing and in controlling coupled spin systems (NMR‐spectroscopy). In the first part we show that certain factorization problems can be reformulated as time optimal control problems on G. In the second part a necessary condition for the existence of finite optimal factorizations is discussed. At the end we illustrate our results by an example on Euler angle factorizations. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)