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

arXiv:quant-ph/0203123 · Physical Review Letters

Theory for the Optimal Control of Time-Averaged Quantities in Quantum Systems

Ilia Grigorenko, Martı́n E. Garcia, Karl H. Bennemann

Published Nov 18, 2002• 20 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present a variational theory for the optimal control of quantum systems with relaxation over a finite time interval. In our approach, which is a nontrivial generalization of previous formulations and which contains them as limiting cases, the optimal control field fulfills a high-order Euler-Lagrange differential equation, which guarantees the uniqueness of the solution. We solve this equation numerically and also analytically for some limiting cases. The theory is applied to two-level quantum systems with relaxation, for which we determine quantitatively how relaxation effects limit the control of the system.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.89.233003

Related papers

Analytical solution of the optimal laser control problem in two-level systems

Martı́n E. Garcia, Ilia Grigorenko

The optimal control of two-level systems by time-dependent laser fields is studied using a variational theory. We reformulate the optimal control problem in terms of differential equations, which have to be fulfilled by the optimal fields. We obtain general analytical expressions for the optimal pulse shapes leading to global maximization or minimization of different physical quantities in two-level systems.

arXiv:quant-ph/0309197•Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Jun 8, 2004•13 citations

Revisiting quantum optimal control theory: New insights for the canonical solutions

Katherine Castro, Ignacio R. Solá, Juan J. Omiste

We present a novel derivation of the Quantum Optimal Control Theory (QOCT). First, we identify the QOCT equations as the Euler-Lagrange equations of the functional associated to the control scheme considering a general window function that accounts for the measurement process. In this framework, we prove that the extremal functions found by Peirce et al. [Phys. Rev. A 37, 4950 (1988)], can be obtained using the well-established theory of variations with appropriately chosen boundary conditions. Second, we derive the QOCT canonical equations to maximize an observable at a given time T by taking the limit of an infinite narrow window function, that is, a delta distribution. We show that the costate is discontinuous and vanishes after the measurement time. Finally, we illustrate the convergence to the limiting case with numerical computations on a spin-chain Heisenberg model.

arXiv:2307.16724•Journal of Mathematical Physics•Dec 1, 2025•2 citations

Algebraic and computational aspects of quantum control and applications.

I. C. H. Pullen

We investigate the problem of control of quantum systems. Various notions of controllability of quantum systems are discussed and Lie algebraic techniques are employed to derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the resulting degrees of controllability. The results are employed to study the degree of controllability for various model systems. The problem of optimal control is formulated as a problem of maximisation of the expectation value of an observable of the system subject to dynamical constraints and costs. A class of iterative algorithms is discussed, and shown to converge to a solution of the Euler-Lagrange equations, which is a necessary condition for optimality of a solution. A numerical realisation of the algorithm is presented and potential implementation of the resulting control fields in the laboratory is discussed. The algorithm is applied to find optimal control fields for a variety of applications including selective and simultaneous excitation of individual quantum dots in a globally addressed ensemble, creation of superposition states, and selective excitation of certain vibrational modes of a simple molecule such as Hydrogen Fluoride. In each case we systematically explore the parameter space of the algorithm to select solutions with desirable physical features from the multitude of possible choices. As there are many possible optimal control fields which give similar yields the question of whether some are more robust than others is investigated. A number of optimal fields are analysed quantitatively in terms of robustness with regard to temporal and spectral noise affecting the fields, uncertainty in the model parameters and the effect of experimental limitations such as restrictions on the bandwidth of the fields. It is shown that whilst the solutions tend to be sensitive to uncertainty in the energy levels chosen for the model, they appear to be surprisingly tolerant to even severe bandwidth limitations.

•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations

Estimation of optimal control for two-level and three-level quantum systems with bounded amplitude

Xikun Li

Abstract A systematic scheme is proposed to numerically estimate the quantum speed limit and temporal shape of optimal control in two-level and three-level quantum systems with bounded amplitude. For the two-level system, two quantum state transitions are studied as illustration. Comparisons between numerical and analytical results are made, and deviations are significantly small. For the three-level system, two critical time points are determined with high accuracy, and optimal controls are obtained for different durations. The shape of optimized control field is simple and does not switch frequently, thus are easy to implement in experiment. In addition, we compare our method with the chopped random basis (CRAB), and the performance of our method is much better than that of CRAB. Our scheme is of importance in estimating the quantum speed limit and optimal control for cases in which analytical solution is absent.

arXiv:2208.13377•Physica Scripta•Sep 8, 2023•1 citation

Quantum Optimal Control of a Lambda System in the Density Matrix Formulation

Julia Cen, Domenico D'Alessandro

In various physical implementations of quantum information processing, qubits are realized in a Lambda type system configuration as two stable lower energy levels coupled indirectly via an unstable higher energy level, that is, in comparison, a lot more susceptible to decoherence. We consider the quantum control problem of optimal state transfer between two isospectral density matrices, over an arbitrary finite time horizon, for the quantum Lambda system. The cost considered is a compromise between the energy of the control field and the average occupancy in the highest energy level. We apply a geometric approach that combines the use of the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, a symmetry reduction technique to reduce the number of parameters in the resulting optimization problem, and several auxiliary techniques to bound the parameter space in the search for the optimal solution. We prove several properties of the optimal control and trajectories for this problem, including their normality and smoothness. We obtain a system of differential equations that must be satisfied by the optimal pair of control and trajectory we treat in detail, with numerical simulations, and solve a case study involving a Hadamard-like transformation. Our techniques can be adapted to other contexts and promise to push to a more consequential level, the application of geometric control in quantum systems.

quant-pharXiv:2511.06097•Nov 11, 2025•0 citations

Optimal control of quantum-mechanical systems: Existence, numerical approximation, and applications

Anthony P. Peirce, M. Dahleh, HERSCHEL A. RABITZ

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.

Physical Review A•Jun 1, 1988•890 citations
We present a variational theory for the optimal control of quantum systems with relaxation over a finite time interval. In our approach, which is a nontrivial generalization of previous formulations and which contains them as limiting cases, the optimal control field fulfills a high-order Euler-Lagrange differential equation, which guarantees the uniqueness of the solution. We solve this equation numerically and also analytically for some limiting cases. The theory is applied to two-level quantum systems with relaxation, for which we determine quantitatively how relaxation effects limit the control of the system.
We present a novel derivation of the Quantum Optimal Control Theory (QOCT). First, we identify the QOCT equations as the Euler-Lagrange equations of the functional associated to the control scheme considering a general window function that accounts for the measurement process. In this framework, we prove that the extremal functions found by Peirce et al. [Phys. Rev. A 37, 4950 (1988)], can be obtained using the well-established theory of variations with appropriately chosen boundary conditions. Second, we derive the QOCT canonical equations to maximize an observable at a given time T by taking the limit of an infinite narrow window function, that is, a delta distribution. We show that the costate is discontinuous and vanishes after the measurement time. Finally, we illustrate the convergence to the limiting case with numerical computations on a spin-chain Heisenberg model.
We investigate the problem of control of quantum systems. Various notions of controllability of quantum systems are discussed and Lie algebraic techniques are employed to derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the resulting degrees of controllability. The results are employed to study the degree of controllability for various model systems. The problem of optimal control is formulated as a problem of maximisation of the expectation value of an observable of the system subject to dynamical constraints and costs. A class of iterative algorithms is discussed, and shown to converge to a solution of the Euler-Lagrange equations, which is a necessary condition for optimality of a solution. A numerical realisation of the algorithm is presented and potential implementation of the resulting control fields in the laboratory is discussed. The algorithm is applied to find optimal control fields for a variety of applications including selective and simultaneous excitation of individual quantum dots in a globally addressed ensemble, creation of superposition states, and selective excitation of certain vibrational modes of a simple molecule such as Hydrogen Fluoride. In each case we systematically explore the parameter space of the algorithm to select solutions with desirable physical features from the multitude of possible choices. As there are many possible optimal control fields which give similar yields the question of whether some are more robust than others is investigated. A number of optimal fields are analysed quantitatively in terms of robustness with regard to temporal and spectral noise affecting the fields, uncertainty in the model parameters and the effect of experimental limitations such as restrictions on the bandwidth of the fields. It is shown that whilst the solutions tend to be sensitive to uncertainty in the energy levels chosen for the model, they appear to be surprisingly tolerant to even severe bandwidth limitations.
Abstract A systematic scheme is proposed to numerically estimate the quantum speed limit and temporal shape of optimal control in two-level and three-level quantum systems with bounded amplitude. For the two-level system, two quantum state transitions are studied as illustration. Comparisons between numerical and analytical results are made, and deviations are significantly small. For the three-level system, two critical time points are determined with high accuracy, and optimal controls are obtained for different durations. The shape of optimized control field is simple and does not switch frequently, thus are easy to implement in experiment. In addition, we compare our method with the chopped random basis (CRAB), and the performance of our method is much better than that of CRAB. Our scheme is of importance in estimating the quantum speed limit and optimal control for cases in which analytical solution is absent.
In various physical implementations of quantum information processing, qubits are realized in a Lambda type system configuration as two stable lower energy levels coupled indirectly via an unstable higher energy level, that is, in comparison, a lot more susceptible to decoherence. We consider the quantum control problem of optimal state transfer between two isospectral density matrices, over an arbitrary finite time horizon, for the quantum Lambda system. The cost considered is a compromise between the energy of the control field and the average occupancy in the highest energy level. We apply a geometric approach that combines the use of the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, a symmetry reduction technique to reduce the number of parameters in the resulting optimization problem, and several auxiliary techniques to bound the parameter space in the search for the optimal solution. We prove several properties of the optimal control and trajectories for this problem, including their normality and smoothness. We obtain a system of differential equations that must be satisfied by the optimal pair of control and trajectory we treat in detail, with numerical simulations, and solve a case study involving a Hadamard-like transformation. Our techniques can be adapted to other contexts and promise to push to a more consequential level, the application of geometric control in quantum systems.
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.