Abstract. The problem of identifying the dynamical Lie algebras of finite-level quantum systems subject to external control is considered, with special emphasis on systems that are not completely controllable. In particular, it is shown that the dynamical Lie algebra for an N-level system with symmetrically coupled transitions, such as a system with equally spaced energy levels and uniform transition dipole moments, is a subalgebra of so(N) if N = 2ℓ + 1, and a subalgebra of sp(ℓ) if N = 2ℓ. General criteria for obtaining either so(2ℓ + 1) or sp(ℓ) are established. Identification of dynamical Lie algebras for finite-level quantum control systems 2 1.
The problem of identifying the dynamical Lie algebras of finite-level quantum systems subject to external control is considered, with special emphasis on systems that are not completely controllable. In particular, it is shown that the dynamical Lie algebra for an N -level system with symmetrically coupled transitions, such as a system with equally spaced energy levels and uniform transition dipole moments, is a subalgebra of so ( N ) if N = 2ℓ + 1, and a subalgebra of sp(ℓ) if N = 2ℓ. General criteria for obtaining either so (2ℓ + 1) or sp (ℓ) are established.
We study, classify, and explore the mathematical properties of finite-dimensional Lie algebras occurring in the quantum dynamics of single-mode and self-interacting bosonic systems. These Lie algebras are contained in the real skew-hermitian Weyl algebra
A^1, defined as the real subalgebra of the Weyl algebra
A1 consisting of all skew-hermitian polynomials. A central aspect of our analysis is the choice of basis for
A^1, which is composed of skew-symmetric combinations of two elements of the Weyl algebra called monomials, namely strings of creation and annihilation operators combined with their hermitian conjugate. Motivated by the quest for analytical solutions in quantum optimal control and dynamics, we aim at answering the following three fundamental questions: (i) What are the finite-dimensional Lie subalgebras in
A^1 generated by monomials alone? (ii)~What are the finite-dimensional Lie subalgebras in
A^1 that contain the free Hamiltonian? (iii) What are the non-abelian and finite-dimensional Lie subalgebras that can be faithfully realized in
A^1? We answer the first question by providing all possible realizations of all finite-dimensional non-abelian Lie algebras that are generated by monomials alone. We answer the second question by proving that any non-abelian and finite-dimensional subalgebra of
A^1 that contains a free Hamiltonian term must be a subalgebra of the Schrödinger algebra. We partially answer the third question by classifying all nilpotent and non-solvable Lie algebras that can be realized in
A^1, and comment on the remaining cases. Finally, we also discuss the implications of our results for quantum control theory. Our work constitutes an important stepping stone to understanding quantum dynamics of bosonic systems in full generality.
In this work, we study operator controllability of finite-dimensional closed quantum systems driven by a single coherent control. Two general Lie-algebraic results on controllability of such systems are proved. The first gives sufficient conditions under which controllability of the system is preserved when controlled energy-level shifts are added. The second gives a sufficient basis-element condition under which the dynamical Lie algebra contains
su(N) and the system is therefore operator controllable. These results, together with known controllability conditions, are applied to obtain a complete classification of operator controllability of all three-level quantum systems in terms of their free and interaction Hamiltonian matrix elements. This classification covers all combinations of energy-level and level-spacing degeneracies, two or three allowed transitions, as well as the presence or absence of controlled energy-level shifts, and gives necessary and sufficient conditions for operator controllability in each case.
It is well known that a finite level quantum system is controllable if and only if the Lie algebra of its generators has full rank. When the rank of the Lie algebra is not full, there is a rich mathematical and physical structure to the subalgebra that to date has been analyzed only in special cases. We show that uncontrollable systems can be classified into reducible and irreducible ones. The irreducible class is the more subtle and can be related to a notion of generalized entanglement. We give a general prescription for revealing irreducible uncontrollable systems: the fundamental representation of
su(N), where
N is the number of levels, must remain irreducible in the subalgebra of
su(N). We illustrate the concepts with a variety of physical examples.
We study quantum systems with even numbers
N of levels that are completely state controlled by unitary transformations generated by Lie algebras isomorphic to
sp(N) of dimension
N(N+1)∕2 as discussed by Albertini and D'Allesandro [IEEE Trans. Autom. Control 48, 1399 (2003)]. These Lie algebras are smaller than the corresponding
su(N) with dimension ${N}^{2}\ensuremath{-}1$. We show that this reduction constrains the field-free Hamiltonian to have symmetric energy levels. An example of such a system is an
n-qubit system with state-independent interaction terms. Using Clifford's geometric algebra to represent the quantum wave function of a finite system, we present an explicit example of a two-qubit system that can be controlled by the elements of the Lie algebra
sp(4) [isomorphic to
spin(5) and
so(5)] with dimension 10 rather than
su(4) with dimension 15, but only if its field-free energy levels are symmetrically distributed about an average. These results enable one to envision more efficient algorithms for the design of fields for quantum-state engineering in certain quantum-computing applications, and provide more insight into the fundamental structure of quantum control.
Lie groups, and therefore Lie algebras, are fundamental structures in quantum physics that determine the space of possible trajectories of evolving systems. However, classification and characterization methods for these structures are often impractical for larger systems. In this work, we provide a comprehensive classification of Lie algebras generated by an arbitrary set of Pauli operators, from which an efficient method to characterize them follows. By mapping the problem to a graph setting, we identify a reduced set of equivalence classes: the free-fermionic Lie algebra, the set of all anti-symmetric Paulis on n qubits, the Lie algebra of symplectic Paulis on n qubits, and the space of all Pauli operators on n qubits, as well as controlled versions thereof. Moreover, out of these, we distinguish 6 Clifford inequivalent cases and find a simple set of canonical operators for each, which allow us to give a physical interpretation of the dynamics of each class. Our findings reveal a no-go result for the existence of small Lie algebras beyond the free-fermionic case in the Pauli setting and offer efficiently computable criteria for universality and extendibility of gate sets. These results bear significant impact in ideas in a number of fields like quantum control, quantum machine learning, or classical simulation of quantum circuits.