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Control of open quantum systems: The nonequilibrium Green’s function perspective

Haoran Sun, Michael Galperin

Published Mar 1, 2025• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Manipulations with open quantum systems (such as qubits) are fundamental for any quantum technology. They are the focus of studies involving optimal control theory. Usually, control is achieved through the use of time-dependent external fields when driven system evolution is simulated employing the Davies construction (second-order Markov quantum master equation formulation). As a weak (second order) coupling scheme, the Davies construction is limited in its ability to account for bath-induced coherences. To overcome the limitation, we utilize the nonequilibrium Green’s function method and demonstrate that accounting for the coherences makes a qualitative impact on quantum control studies. We find that accounting for the coherences is especially important when dealing with system evolution involving mixed states.

DOI
10.1063/5.0260691

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Manipulations with open quantum systems (such as qubits) are fundamental for any quantum technology. They are the focus of studies involving optimal control theory. Usually, control is achieved through the use of time-dependent external fields when driven system evolution is simulated employing the Davies construction (second-order Markov quantum master equation formulation). As a weak (second order) coupling scheme, the Davies construction is limited in its ability to account for bath-induced coherences. To overcome the limitation, we utilize the nonequilibrium Green’s function method and demonstrate that accounting for the coherences makes a qualitative impact on quantum control studies. We find that accounting for the coherences is especially important when dealing with system evolution involving mixed states.
Fast and reliable manipulation with qubits is fundamental for any quantum technology. The implementation of these manipulations in physical systems is the focus of studies involving optimal control theory. Realistic physical devices are open quantum systems. So far, studies in optimal control theory have primarily utilized the Redfield/Lindblad quantum master equation to simulate the dynamics of such systems. However, this Markov description is not always sufficient. Here, we present a study of qubit control utilizing the nonequilibrium Green's function method. We compare the traditional master equation with more general Green's function results and demonstrate that even in the parameter regime suitable for the application of the Redfield/Lindblad approach, the two methods yield drastically different results when addressing evolution involving mixed states. In particular, we find that, in addition to predicting different optimal driving profiles, a more accurate description of system evolution enables the system to reach the desired final state much more quickly. We argue that the primary reason for this is the significance of the non-Markov description of driven system dynamics due to the effect of time-dependent driving on dissipation.
We consider the Lindblad-Kossakowski quantum master equation describing the dynamics of an open quantum systems in the form originally proposed by Davies and Spohn. This equation contains dissipative corrections, accounting for the interaction with the environment, whose expression strongly depends on the adopted Markov approximation. In the case where a control is present, the rigorous derivation of the Markov approximation in the standard case, the weak coupling limit, shows that the control appears not only in the coherent part of the equation but also in the dissipative correction. This complicates the analysis of the dynamics but also offers the opportunity of indirectly affecting the interaction with the environment through the control. In this paper we study this scenario for a finite dimensional quantum system interacting with a (Bosonic) bath of harmonic oscillators. We prove several control theoretic properties of this system and discuss how the control can be used to effectively shape the influence of the environment and obtain desired features of the dynamics.
This paper develops perturbative and nonperturbative master equations for open quantum systems based on time-dependent variational functionals. The perturbative equations are more concise and suitable for dealing with cases of weak system-environment coupling for short evolution time scales. The nonperturbative equations are valid for all time and appropriate to treat cases of strong system-environment coupling. When a system contains an external control field, both the perturbative and nonperturbative master equations reveal the embedded control field dependence upon the system decoherence, which provides a basis for decoherence management.
An efficient optimal-control theory based on the Krotov method is introduced for a non-Markovian open quantum system with a time-nonlocal master equation in which the control parameter and the bath correlation function are correlated. This optimal-control method is developed via a quantum dissipation formulation that transforms the time-nonlocal master equation to a set of coupled linear time-local equations of motion in an extended auxiliary Liouville space. As an illustration, the optimal-control method is applied to find the control sequences for high-fidelity ZZZ gates and identity gates of a qubit embedded in a non-Markovian bath. ZZZ gates and identity gates with errors less than ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}5}$ for a wide range of bath decoherence parameters can be achieved for the non-Markovian open qubit system with control over only the ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{z}$ term. The control-dissipation correlation and the memory effect of the bath are crucial in achieving the high-fidelity gates.
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.
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.