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arXiv:cond-mat/0209513 · Physical Review A

Optimal quantum control in nanostructures: Theory and application to a generic three-level system

Alfio Borzı̀, Georg Stadler, Ulrich Hohenester

Published Nov 21, 2002• 54 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Coherent carrier control in quantum nanostructures is studied within the framework of optimal control. We develop a general solution scheme for the optimization of an external control (e.g., lasers pulses), which allows to channel the system's wave function between two given states in its most efficient way; physically motivated constraints, such as limited laser resources or population suppression of certain states, can be accounted for through a general cost functional. Using a generic three-level scheme for the quantum system, we demonstrate the applicability of our approach and identify the pertinent calculation and convergence parameters.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.66.053811

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Coherent carrier control in quantum nanostructures is studied within the framework of optimal control. We develop a general solution scheme for the optimization of an external control (e.g., lasers pulses), which allows to channel the system's wave function between two given states in its most efficient way; physically motivated constraints, such as limited laser resources or population suppression of certain states, can be accounted for through a general cost functional. Using a generic three-level scheme for the quantum system, we demonstrate the applicability of our approach and identify the pertinent calculation and convergence parameters.
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We study the potential for optimal control of a symmetric double quantum-dot structure interacting with a single pulsed electromagnetic field. We first use the rotating wave and resonant approximations and reduce the dynamics of the system to that of a degenerate three-level $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type system. We also formulate the optimal control problem in terms of differential equations that have to be fulfilled by the optimal electromagnetic fields. We then obtain general analytical expressions for the optimal pulse shapes that lead to global maximization of the final population of the target state and of the time-averaged population of the target state in the quantum-dot structure.
The optimal control of the path to a specified final state of a quantum-mechanical system is investigated. The problem is formulated as a minimization problem over appropriate function spaces, and the well-posedness of this problem is is established by proving the existence of an optimal solution. A Lagrange-multiplier technique is used to reduce the problem to an equivalent optimization problem and to derive necessary conditions for a minimum. These necessary conditions form the basis for a gradient iterative procedure to search for a minimum. A numerical scheme based on finite differences is used to reduce the infinite-dimensional minimization problem to an approximate finite-dimensional problem. Numerical examples are provided for final-state control of a diatomic molecule represented by a Morse potential. Within the context of this optimal control formulation, numerical results are given for the optimal pulsing strategy to demonstrate the feasibility of wave-packet control and finally to achieve a specified dissociative wave packet at a given time. The optimal external optical fields generally have a high degree of structure, including an early time period of wave-packet phase adjustment followed by a period of extensive energy deposition to achieve the imposed objective. Constraints on the form of the molecular dipole (e.g., a linear dipole) are shown to limit the accessibility (i.e., controllability) of certain types of molecular wave-packet objectives. The nontrivial structure of the optimal pulse strategies emphasizes the ultimate usefulness of an optimal-control approach to the steering of quantum systems to desired objectives.
The control of quantum dynamics via specially tailored laser pulses is a long-standing goal in physics and chemistry. Partly, this dream has come true, as sophisticated pulse-shaping experiments allow us to coherently control product ratios of chemical reactions. The theoretical design of the laser pulse to transfer an initial state to a given final state can be achieved with the help of quantum optimal control theory (QOCT). This tutorial provides an introduction to QOCT. It shows how the control equations defining such an optimal pulse follow from the variation of a properly defined functional. We explain the most successful schemes to solve these control equations and show how to incorporate additional constraints in the pulse design. The algorithms are then applied to simple quantum systems and the obtained pulses are analysed. Besides the traditional final-time control methods, the tutorial also presents an algorithm and an example to handle time-dependent control targets.