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CRC Press eBooks

On the Principles of Quantum Control Theory

Re-Bing Wu, Jing Zhang, Tzyh‐Jong Tarn

Published Oct 30, 2013• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

This chapter provides fundamental concepts and problems in quantum control theory. It discusses physical mechanisms behind quantum control theory. The chapter introduces modeling and analysis problems and summarizes open-loop and feedback control methods. In principle, Bayesian feedback may outperform the Markovian feedback because more information extracted from the measurement history can be used to determine the control. The fusion of control theory and quantum physics calls for collaborations between physicists and engineers. In contrast to classical control theory, the body of literature on open-loop control is much larger than that of feedback control. In quantum optimal control theory, all algorithms may suffer from the possible existence of false traps, that is, the search may converge to an undesired locally optimal solution that is not globally optimal. Quantum optimal control theory has been proven to be effective for finite-level or simple few-body systems.

DOI
10.1201/b16071-1

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This chapter provides fundamental concepts and problems in quantum control theory. It discusses physical mechanisms behind quantum control theory. The chapter introduces modeling and analysis problems and summarizes open-loop and feedback control methods. In principle, Bayesian feedback may outperform the Markovian feedback because more information extracted from the measurement history can be used to determine the control. The fusion of control theory and quantum physics calls for collaborations between physicists and engineers. In contrast to classical control theory, the body of literature on open-loop control is much larger than that of feedback control. In quantum optimal control theory, all algorithms may suffer from the possible existence of false traps, that is, the search may converge to an undesired locally optimal solution that is not globally optimal. Quantum optimal control theory has been proven to be effective for finite-level or simple few-body systems.
Optimal Control Theory is a powerful mathematical tool, which has known a rapid development since the 1950s, mainly for engineering applications. More recently, it has become a widely used method to improve process performance in quantum technologies by means of highly efficient control of quantum dynamics. This review aims at providing an introduction to key concepts of optimal control theory which is accessible to physicists and engineers working in quantum control or in related fields. The different mathematical results are introduced intuitively, before being rigorously stated. This review describes modern aspects of optimal control theory, with a particular focus on the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, which is the main tool for determining open-loop control laws without experimental feedback. The different steps to solve an optimal control problem are discussed, before moving on to more advanced topics such as the existence of optimal solutions or the definition of the different types of extremals, namely normal, abnormal, and singular. The review covers various quantum control issues and describes their mathematical formulation suitable for optimal control. The optimal solution of different low-dimensional quantum systems is presented in detail, illustrating how the mathematical tools are applied in a practical way.
Optimal Control Theory is a powerful mathematical tool, which has known a rapid development since the 1950s, mainly for engineering applications. More recently, it has become a widely used method to improve process performance in quantum technologies by means of highly efficient control of quantum dynamics. This tutorial aims at providing an introduction to key concepts of optimal control theory which is accessible to physicists and engineers working in quantum control or in related fields. The different mathematical results are introduced intuitively, before being rigorously stated. This tutorial describes modern aspects of optimal control theory, with a particular focus on the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, which is the main tool for determining open-loop control laws without experimental feedback. The different steps to solve an optimal control problem are discussed, before moving on to more advanced topics such as the existence of optimal solutions or the definition of the different types of extremals, namely normal, abnormal, and singular. The tutorial covers various quantum control issues and describes their mathematical formulation suitable for optimal control. The connection between the Pontryagin Maximum Principle and gradient-based optimization algorithms used for high-dimensional quantum systems is described. The optimal solution of different low-dimensional quantum systems is presented in detail, illustrating how the mathematical tools are applied in a practical way.
This paper analyzes classical and quantum physical systems from an optimal control perspective. Specifically, we explore whether their associated dynamics can correspond to an open- or closed-loop feedback evolution of a control problem. Firstly, for the classical regime, when it is viewed in terms of the theory of canonical transformations, we find that a closed-loop feedback problem can describe it. Secondly, for a quantum physical system, if one realizes that the Heisenberg commutation relations themselves can be considered constraints in a non-commutative space, then the momentum must depend on the position of any generic wave function. That implies the existence of a closed-loop strategy for the quantum case. Thus, closed-loop feedback is a natural phenomenon in the physical world. By way of completeness, we briefly review control theory and the classical mechanics of constrained systems and analyze some examples at the classical and quantum levels.
In this paper, we analyze classical and quantum physical systems from an optimal control perspective. Specifically, we explore whether their associated dynamics can correspond to an open or closed-loop feedback evolution of a control problem. Firstly, for the classical regime, when it is viewed in terms of the theory of canonical transformations, we find that it can be described by a closed-loop feedback problem. Secondly, for a quantum physical system, if one realizes that the Heisenberg commutation relations themselves can be thought of as constraints in a non-commutative space, then the momentum must be dependent on the position for any generic wave function. This implies the existence of a closed-loop strategy for the quantum case. Thus, closed-loop feedback is a natural phenomenon in the physical world. For the sake of exposition, we give a short review of control theory, and some familiar examples at the classical and quantum levels are analyzed.
Quantum control refers to our ability to manipulate quantum systems. This tutorial-style chapter focuses on the use of classical electromagnetic fields to steer the system dynamics. In this approach, the quantum nature of the control stems solely from the underlying dynamics, through the exploitation of destructive and constructive interference to reach the control target. We first discuss two basic control principles -- coherent control which uses manipulation in frequency or time to design these interferences, and adiabatic following where access to the control target is enabled by tracking the time-dependent ground state. For complex control targets and system dynamics that exceed the scope of these basic principles, optimal control theory provides a powerful suite of tools to design the necessary protocols. A key consideration for the successful application of optimal control theory is a proper choice of the optimization functional. All concepts are illustrated using recent work from my research group, with a focus on controlling atoms and superconducting qubits. The chapter concludes with an outlook on integrating coherent control with engineered dissipation and a discussion of open questions in the field.