Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

SU(3) Brachistochrone and the Isotropic Oscillator

P. G. Morrison

Published Jun 28, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

This paper discusses two major applications of SU(3) theory, the first being the question of quantum brachistochrones and problems in time optimal control theory, the second being the use of spherical tensor decompositions of the special functions which are associated to SU(3) via the isotropic oscillator. We discuss the derivation of the quantum brachistochrone problem more generally from the perspective of von Neumann equations and matrix mechanics, arriving at an equivalent formulation to the Lagrangian method. Discussion is given to the application of such advanced methods in quantum computation, and some future directions that may be amenable to a similar sort of an

DOI
10.20944/preprints202306.1967.v1

Related papers

Quantum Brachistochrone Curves as Geodesics: Obtaining Accurate Minimum-Time Protocols for the Control of Quantum Systems

Xiaoting Wang, Michele Allegra, Kurt A. Jacobs +3 more

Most methods of optimal control cannot obtain accurate time-optimal protocols. The quantum brachistochrone equation is an exception, and has the potential to provide accurate time-optimal protocols for a wide range of quantum control problems. So far, this potential has not been realized, however, due to the inadequacy of conventional numerical methods to solve it. Here we show that the quantum brachistochrone problem can be recast as that of finding geodesic paths in the space of unitary operators. We expect this brachistochrone-geodesic connection to have broad applications, as it opens up minimal-time control to the tools of geometry. As one such application, we use it to obtain a fast numerical method to solve the brachistochrone problem, and apply this method to two examples demonstrating its power.

arXiv:1408.2465•Physical Review Letters•Apr 28, 2015•111 citations

Minimum-Time Quantum Control and the Quantum Brachistochrone Equation

Jing Yang, Adolfo del Campo

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.

arXiv:2204.12792•Apr 27, 2022•2 citations

最速量子操作

陽介 奥平, Yosuke Okudaira

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 . . . . . . . . .

•Mar 1, 2008•0 citations

Optimized Quantum State Transitions

Robbert W. Scholtens

The quantum brachistochrone problem -- to find the time-optimal transition between given initial and final quantum states -- is investigated in this bachelor's thesis. First the quantum equivalent of distance (the Fubini-Study metric) is formulated, using geometry of spheres. Together with constraints, it is used to create the quantum action. Functional derivatives are then taken of said action to find equations of motion (eoms). For the unconstrained case (excluding finite energy), these eoms are solved in closed form, whilst general to be solved formulae are obtained for the constrained case. The latter is used to explicitly solve an example quantum brachistochrone problem: a spin-1/2 particle in a controllable magnetic field constrained to an x-y plane. Finally, the link with quantum computing is illustrated through the time-optimization of unitary transformations that the quantum brachistochrone yields us.

•Jul 20, 2018•0 citations

Time Optimal Quantum Control of Spinor States

P. G. Morrison

An analysis of the motion of a relativistic electron under a linear constraint in four dimensions is presented. Interesting results are given that show that the state of the electron is well defined under the formalism of time optimal quantum state control. We establish compact mechanisms for achieving time dependent unitary evolution, and present new calculation methods for time-ordered exponential operators. A powerful modification of the brachistochrone technique is presented that allows solution of a class of problems via matrix decomposition of the Hamiltonian. These techniques allow us to arrive at a series of solutions for quantum systems that have readily accessible physical realisations. We contrast the output of the theory when constrained to a relativistic space-time to that of other physical systems of lower dimensionality. Some comment is given regarding hypercomplex numbers and their application in quantum mechanics.

arXiv:1907.09397•Jul 16, 2019•3 citations

Time-optimal quantum control via differential geometry

Xiaoting Wang, Michele Allegra, Kurt A. Jacobs +3 more

Compared with many other methods which only give time sub-optimal designs, the quantum brachistochrone equation has a great potential to provide accurate time-optimal protocols for essentially any quantum control problem. So far it has been of limited use, however, due to the inadequacy of conventional numerical methods to solve it. Here, using differential geometry, we reformulate the quantum brachistochrone curves as geodesics on the unitary group. This identification allows us to design a numerical method that can efficiently solve the brachistochrone problem by first solving a family of geodesic equations.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Feb 20, 2017•4 citations
This paper discusses two major applications of SU(3) theory, the first being the question of quantum brachistochrones and problems in time optimal control theory, the second being the use of spherical tensor decompositions of the special functions which are associated to SU(3) via the isotropic oscillator. We discuss the derivation of the quantum brachistochrone problem more generally from the perspective of von Neumann equations and matrix mechanics, arriving at an equivalent formulation to the Lagrangian method. Discussion is given to the application of such advanced methods in quantum computation, and some future directions that may be amenable to a similar sort of an
Most methods of optimal control cannot obtain accurate time-optimal protocols. The quantum brachistochrone equation is an exception, and has the potential to provide accurate time-optimal protocols for a wide range of quantum control problems. So far, this potential has not been realized, however, due to the inadequacy of conventional numerical methods to solve it. Here we show that the quantum brachistochrone problem can be recast as that of finding geodesic paths in the space of unitary operators. We expect this brachistochrone-geodesic connection to have broad applications, as it opens up minimal-time control to the tools of geometry. As one such application, we use it to obtain a fast numerical method to solve the brachistochrone problem, and apply this method to two examples demonstrating its power.
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 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 . . . . . . . . .
The quantum brachistochrone problem -- to find the time-optimal transition between given initial and final quantum states -- is investigated in this bachelor's thesis. First the quantum equivalent of distance (the Fubini-Study metric) is formulated, using geometry of spheres. Together with constraints, it is used to create the quantum action. Functional derivatives are then taken of said action to find equations of motion (eoms). For the unconstrained case (excluding finite energy), these eoms are solved in closed form, whilst general to be solved formulae are obtained for the constrained case. The latter is used to explicitly solve an example quantum brachistochrone problem: a spin-1/2 particle in a controllable magnetic field constrained to an x-y plane. Finally, the link with quantum computing is illustrated through the time-optimization of unitary transformations that the quantum brachistochrone yields us.
An analysis of the motion of a relativistic electron under a linear constraint in four dimensions is presented. Interesting results are given that show that the state of the electron is well defined under the formalism of time optimal quantum state control. We establish compact mechanisms for achieving time dependent unitary evolution, and present new calculation methods for time-ordered exponential operators. A powerful modification of the brachistochrone technique is presented that allows solution of a class of problems via matrix decomposition of the Hamiltonian. These techniques allow us to arrive at a series of solutions for quantum systems that have readily accessible physical realisations. We contrast the output of the theory when constrained to a relativistic space-time to that of other physical systems of lower dimensionality. Some comment is given regarding hypercomplex numbers and their application in quantum mechanics.
Compared with many other methods which only give time sub-optimal designs, the quantum brachistochrone equation has a great potential to provide accurate time-optimal protocols for essentially any quantum control problem. So far it has been of limited use, however, due to the inadequacy of conventional numerical methods to solve it. Here, using differential geometry, we reformulate the quantum brachistochrone curves as geodesics on the unitary group. This identification allows us to design a numerical method that can efficiently solve the brachistochrone problem by first solving a family of geodesic equations.