Control Of Quantum Systems Research Articles

Edge state preparation in a one-dimensional lattice by quantum Lyapunov control

Quantum Lyapunov control uses a feedback control methodology to determine control fields applied to control quantum systems in an open-loop way. In this work, we employ two Lyapunov control schemes to prepare an edge state for a fermionic chain consisting of cold atoms loaded in an optical lattice. Such a chain can be described by the Harper model. Corresponding to the two schemes, two types of quantum Lyapunov functions are considered. The results show that both the schemes are effective at preparing the edge state within a wide range of parameters. We found that the edge state can be prepared with high fidelity even if there are moderate fluctuations of on-site or hopping potentials. Both control schemes can be extended to similar chains (3m + d, d = 2) of different lengths. Since a regular amplitude control field is easier to apply in practice, an amplitude-modulated control field is used to replace the unmodulated one. Such control approaches provide tools to explore the edge states of one-dimensional topological materials.

Characterizing the width of entanglement

The size of controllable quantum systems has grown in recent times. Therefore, the spatial degree of freedom becomes more and more important in experimental quantum systems. However, the investigation of entanglement in many-body systems mainly concentrated on the number of entangled particles and ignored the spatial degree of freedom so far. As a consequence, a general concept together with experimentally realizable criteria has been missing to describe the spatial distribution of entanglement. We close this gap by introducing the concept of entanglement width as measure of the spatial distribution of entanglement in many-body systems. We develop criteria to detect the width of entanglement based solely on global observables. As a result, our entanglement criteria can be applied easily to many-body systems since single-particle addressing is not necessary.

Experimental realization of stimulated Raman shortcut-to-adiabatic passage with cold atoms.

Accurate control of a quantum system is a fundamental requirement in many areas of modern science ranging from quantum information processing to high-precision measurements. A significantly important goal in quantum control is preparing a desired state as fast as possible, with sufficiently high fidelity allowed by available resources and experimental constraints. Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a robust way to realize high-fidelity state transfer but it requires a sufficiently long operation time to satisfy the adiabatic criteria. Here we theoretically propose and then experimentally demonstrate a shortcut-to-adiabatic protocol to speed-up the STIRAP. By modifying the shapes of the Raman pulses, we experimentally realize a fast and high-fidelity stimulated Raman shortcut-to-adiabatic passage that is robust against control parameter variations. The all-optical, robust and fast protocol demonstrated here provides an efficient and practical way to control quantum systems.

Ergodic dynamics and thermalization in an isolated quantum system

Statistical mechanics is founded on the assumption that all accessible configurations of a system are equally likely. This requires dynamics that explore all states over time, known as ergodic dynamics. In isolated quantum systems, however, the occurrence of ergodic behavior has remained an outstanding question. Here, we demonstrate ergodic dynamics in a small quantum system consisting of only three superconducting qubits. The qubits undergo a sequence of rotations and interactions and we measure the evolution of the density matrix. Maps of the entanglement entropy show that the full system can act like a reservoir for individual qubits, increasing their entropy through entanglement. Surprisingly, these maps bear a strong resemblance to the phase space dynamics in the classical limit; classically chaotic motion coincides with higher entanglement entropy. We further show that in regions of high entropy the full multi-qubit system undergoes ergodic dynamics. Our work illustrates how controllable quantum systems can investigate fundamental questions in non-equilibrium thermodynamics.

Arrays of individually controlled ions suitable for two-dimensional quantum simulations.

A precisely controlled quantum system may reveal a fundamental understanding of another, less accessible system of interest. A universal quantum computer is currently out of reach, but an analogue quantum simulator that makes relevant observables, interactions and states of a quantum model accessible could permit insight into complex dynamics. Several platforms have been suggested and proof-of-principle experiments have been conducted. Here, we operate two-dimensional arrays of three trapped ions in individually controlled harmonic wells forming equilateral triangles with side lengths 40 and 80 μm. In our approach, which is scalable to arbitrary two-dimensional lattices, we demonstrate individual control of the electronic and motional degrees of freedom, preparation of a fiducial initial state with ion motion close to the ground state, as well as a tuning of couplings between ions within experimental sequences. Our work paves the way towards a quantum simulator of two-dimensional systems designed at will.

Quantum annealing for the number-partitioning problem using a tunable spin glass of ions

Exploiting quantum properties to outperform classical ways of information processing is an outstanding goal of modern physics. A promising route is quantum simulation, which aims at implementing relevant and computationally hard problems in controllable quantum systems. Here we demonstrate that in a trapped ion setup, with present day technology, it is possible to realize a spin model of the Mattis-type that exhibits spin glass phases. Our method produces the glassy behaviour without the need for any disorder potential, just by controlling the detuning of the spin-phonon coupling. Applying a transverse field, the system can be used to benchmark quantum annealing strategies which aim at reaching the ground state of the spin glass starting from the paramagnetic phase. In the vicinity of a phonon resonance, the problem maps onto number partitioning, and instances which are difficult to address classically can be implemented.

Adaptive output feedback control for a class of nonlinear uncertain systems with quantized input signal

Summary In this paper, adaptive output feedback control for a class of nonlinear systems with quantized input is investigated. The nonlinearities of the nonlinear systems under consideration are assumed to satisfy linear growth condition on the unmeasured states multiplied by unknown growth rate and output polynomial function. By developing a dynamic high-gain observer, a linear-like output feedback controller is constructed, with which it is proved that the output of the quantized control system can be steered to within an arbitrarily small residual set while keeping all the other closed loop states bounded. In particular, if the growth rate is known, it is proved that all the states of the system can be steered to within an arbitrarily small neighborhood of the origin. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dynamics of observables and exactly solvable quantum problems: Using time-dependent density-functional theory to control quantum systems

We use analytic (current) density-potential maps of time-dependent (current) density functional theory (TD(C)DFT) to inverse engineer analytically solvable time-dependent quantum problems. In this approach the driving potential (the control signal) and the corresponding solution of the Schr\"odinger equation are parametrized analytically in terms of the basic TD(C)DFT observables. We describe the general reconstruction strategy and illustrate it with a number of explicit examples. First we consider the real space one-particle dynamics driven by a time-dependent electromagnetic field and recover, from the general TDDFT reconstruction formulas, the known exact solution for a driven oscillator with a time-dependent frequency. Then we use analytic maps of the lattice TD(C)DFT to control quantum dynamics in a discrete space. As a first example we construct a time-dependent potential which generates prescribed dynamics on a tight-binding chain. Then our method is applied to the dynamics of spin-1/2 driven by a time dependent magnetic field. We design an analytic control pulse that transfers the system from the ground to excited state and vice versa. This pulse generates the spin flip thus operating as a quantum NOT gate.

Computational quantum-classical boundary of noisy commuting quantum circuits.

It is often said that the transition from quantum to classical worlds is caused by decoherence originated from an interaction between a system of interest and its surrounding environment. Here we establish a computational quantum-classical boundary from the viewpoint of classical simulatability of a quantum system under decoherence. Specifically, we consider commuting quantum circuits being subject to decoherence. Or equivalently, we can regard them as measurement-based quantum computation on decohered weighted graph states. To show intractability of classical simulation in the quantum side, we utilize the postselection argument and crucially strengthen it by taking noise effect into account. Classical simulatability in the classical side is also shown constructively by using both separable criteria in a projected-entangled-pair-state picture and the Gottesman-Knill theorem for mixed state Clifford circuits. We found that when each qubit is subject to a single-qubit complete-positive-trace-preserving noise, the computational quantum-classical boundary is sharply given by the noise rate required for the distillability of a magic state. The obtained quantum-classical boundary of noisy quantum dynamics reveals a complexity landscape of controlled quantum systems. This paves a way to an experimentally feasible verification of quantum mechanics in a high complexity limit beyond classically simulatable region.

Quantum simulation of the Hubbard model with dopant atoms in silicon.

In quantum simulation, many-body phenomena are probed in controllable quantum systems. Recently, simulation of Bose–Hubbard Hamiltonians using cold atoms revealed previously hidden local correlations. However, fermionic many-body Hubbard phenomena such as unconventional superconductivity and spin liquids are more difficult to simulate using cold atoms. To date the required single-site measurements and cooling remain problematic, while only ensemble measurements have been achieved. Here we simulate a two-site Hubbard Hamiltonian at low effective temperatures with single-site resolution using subsurface dopants in silicon. We measure quasi-particle tunnelling maps of spin-resolved states with atomic resolution, finding interference processes from which the entanglement entropy and Hubbard interactions are quantified. Entanglement, determined by spin and orbital degrees of freedom, increases with increasing valence bond length. We find separation-tunable Hubbard interaction strengths that are suitable for simulating strongly correlated phenomena in larger arrays of dopants, establishing dopants as a platform for quantum simulation of the Hubbard model.

Quantum gate generation for systems with drift in U(n) using Lyapunov–LaSalle techniques

ABSTRACTThis paper considers right-invariant and controllable quantum systems with m inputs u = (u1,… , um) and state X(t) evolving on the unitary Lie group U(n). The ε-steering problem is introduced and solved for systems with drift: given any initial condition X0 at the initial time instant t0 ≥ 0, any goal state U(n) and ε > 0, find a control law such that , where is big enough and dist(X1, X2) is a convenient right-invariant notion of distance between two elements X1, X2 ∈ U(n). The purpose is to approximately generate arbitrary quantum gates corresponding to Xgoal. This is achieved by solving a tracking problem for a special kind of reference trajectories : [t0, ∞) → U(n), which are here called c-universal reference trajectories. It is shown that, for this special kind of trajectories, the tracking problem can be solved up to an error ε for any reference trajectory which is a right-translation of , at least when is finite. Furthermore, it is shown that converges uniformly exponentially to zero in the sense that the rate of convergence is independent of t0, R and X0. The approach considered here for showing such convergence is a generalisation of the results of a previous paper of the authors, which is mainly based on the central ideas of Jurdjevic and Quinn and Coron's return method. Taking a right-translation R such that , one may solve the ε-steering problem by solving the tracking problem for the reference trajectory , at least when . When , it is shown that the ε-steering problem can be globally solved in a two-iteration procedure. The underlying algorithmic complexity to get the steering control is essentially equivalent to the numerical integration of the Cauchy problem governing X(t). A numerical example considering a Toffoli quantum gate on U(8) for a chain of three coupled qubits that are controlled only locally is presented.

Quantum speed problem: Theoretical hints for control

The transition time between states plays an important role in designing quantum devices as they are very sensitive to environmental influences. Decoherence phenomenon is responsible for possible destructions of the entanglement that is a fundamental requirement to implement quantum information processing systems. If the time between states is minimized, the decoherence effects can be reduced, thus, it is advantageous to the designer to develop expressions for time performance measures. Quantum speed limit (QSL) problem has been studied from the theoretical point of view, providing general results. Considering the implementation of quantum control systems, as the decoherence phenomenon is unavoidable, it is important to apply these general results to particular cases, developing expressions and performance measures, to assist control engineering designers. Here, a minimum time performance measure is defined for quantum control problems, for time-independent or time-dependent Hamiltonians, and applied to some practical examples, providing hints that may be useful for researchers pursuing optimization strategies for quantum control systems.

Continuous variable quantum optical simulation for time evolution of quantum harmonic oscillators.

Quantum simulation enables one to mimic the evolution of other quantum systems using a controllable quantum system. Quantum harmonic oscillator (QHO) is one of the most important model systems in quantum physics. To observe the transient dynamics of a QHO with high oscillation frequency directly is difficult. We experimentally simulate the transient behaviors of QHO in an open system during time evolution with an optical mode and a logical operation system of continuous variable quantum computation. The time evolution of an atomic ensemble in the collective spontaneous emission is analytically simulated by mapping the atomic ensemble onto a QHO. The measured fidelity, which is used for quantifying the quality of the simulation, is higher than its classical limit. The presented simulation scheme provides a new tool for studying the dynamic behaviors of QHO.

Spatial Control Model and Analysis of Quantum Fields in One-Dimensional Waveguides

In this paper, we explore quantum control systems tuned by spatially varying functions, which are different from the broadly studied quantum control systems with time-dependent controls. Such control problems exist in the design of quantum waveguides and materials (e.g., fibers, photonic crystals, and metamaterials) and have not been considered from a control theoretic point of view. The spatial quantum control model is built from quantized Maxwell equations for dielectric waveguides, where the spatially varying dielectric parameters are taken as controls. The model can be applied to both passive and active dielectrics or their mixtures such as metamaterials. We derive the iterative equation for slab structures, which is analogous to a discrete-time control system. For homogeneous waveguides, the model is parallel with the well-known Langevin equation in the time domain. However, for inhomogeneous and dispersive waveguides, the control model becomes bilinear even for linear dielectric materials and hence ...

Exploring Interacting Quantum Many-Body Systems by Experimentally Creating Continuous Matrix Product States in Superconducting Circuits

Improving the understanding of strongly correlated quantum many body systems such as gases of interacting atoms or electrons is one of the most important challenges in modern condensed matter physics, materials research and chemistry. Enormous progress has been made in the past decades in developing both classical and quantum approaches to calculate, simulate and experimentally probe the properties of such systems. In this work we use a combination of classical and quantum methods to experimentally explore the properties of an interacting quantum gas by creating experimental realizations of continuous matrix product states - a class of states which has proven extremely powerful as a variational ansatz for numerical simulations. By systematically preparing and probing these states using a circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) system we experimentally determine a good approximation to the ground-state wave function of the Lieb-Liniger Hamiltonian, which describes an interacting Bose gas in one dimension. Since the simulated Hamiltonian is encoded in the measurement observable rather than the controlled quantum system, this approach has the potential to apply to exotic models involving multicomponent interacting fields. Our findings also hint at the possibility of experimentally exploring general properties of matrix product states and entanglement theory. The scheme presented here is applicable to a broad range of systems exploiting strong and tunable light-matter interactions.

Ground-state stabilization of quantum finite-level systems by dissipation

Control by dissipation, or environment engineering, constitutes an important methodology within quantum coherent control which was proposed to improve the robustness and scalability of quantum control systems. The system–environment coupling, often considered to be detrimental to quantum coherence, also provides the means to steer the system to desired states. This paper aims to develop the theory for engineering of the dissipation, based on a ground-state Lyapunov stability analysis of open quantum systems via a Heisenberg-picture approach. In particular, Lyapunov stability conditions expressed as operator inequalities allow a purely algebraic treatment of the environment engineering problem, which facilitates the integration of quantum components into a large-scale quantum system and draws an explicit connection to the classical theory of vector Lyapunov functions and decomposition–aggregation methods for control of complex systems. This leads to tractable algebraic conditions concerning the ground-state stability and scalability of quantum systems. The implications of the results in relation to dissipative quantum computing and state engineering are also discussed in this paper.

Time-optimal control fields for quantum systems with multiple avoided crossings

We study time-optimal protocols for controlling quantum systems which show several avoided level crossings in their energy spectrum. The structure of the spectrum allows us to generate a robust guess which is time optimal at each crossing. We correct the field applying optimal control techniques in order to find the minimal evolution or quantum speed limit (QSL) time. We investigate its dependence as a function of the system parameters and show that the QSL time gets proportionally smaller to the well-known two-level case as the dimension of the system increases. Working at the QSL, we study the control fields derived from the optimization procedure and show that they present a very simple shape, which can be described by a few parameters. Based on this result, we propose a simple expression for the control field and show that the full time evolution of the control problem can be analytically solved.

Quantum state tomography of large nuclear spins in a semiconductor quantum well: Optimal robustness against errors as quantified by condition numbers

We discuss methods of quantum state tomography for solid-state systems with a large nuclear spin $I=3/2$ in nanometer-scale semiconductors devices based on a quantum well. Due to quadrupolar interactions, the Zeeman levels of these nuclear-spin devices become nonequidistant, forming a controllable four-level quantum system (known as quartit or ququart). The occupation of these levels can be selectively and coherently manipulated by multiphoton transitions using the techniques of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) [Yusa et al., Nature (London) 434, 101 (2005)]. These methods are based on an unconventional approach to NMR, where the longitudinal magnetization $M_z$ is directly measured. This is in contrast to the standard NMR experiments and tomographic methods, where the transverse magnetization $M_{xy}$ is detected. The robustness against errors in the measured data is analyzed by using the condition number based on the spectral norm. We propose several methods with optimized sets of rotations yielding the highest robustness against errors, as described by the condition number equal to 1, assuming an ideal experimental detection. This robustness is only slightly deteriorated, as given by the condition number equal to 1.05, for a more realistic "noisy" $M_z$ detection based on the standard cyclically-ordered phase sequence (CYCLOPS) method.

On squares of representations of compact Lie algebras

We study how tensor products of representations decompose when restricted from a compact Lie algebra to one of its subalgebras. In particular, we are interested in tensor squares which are tensor products of a representation with itself. We show in a classification-free manner that the sum of multiplicities and the sum of squares of multiplicities in the corresponding decomposition of a tensor square into irreducible representations has to strictly grow when restricted from a compact semisimple Lie algebra to a proper subalgebra. For this purpose, relevant details on tensor products of representations are compiled from the literature. Since the sum of squares of multiplicities is equal to the dimension of the commutant of the tensor-square representation, it can be determined by linear-algebra computations in a scenario where an a priori unknown Lie algebra is given by a set of generators which might not be a linear basis. Hence, our results offer a test to decide if a subalgebra of a compact semisimple Lie algebra is a proper one without calculating the relevant Lie closures, which can be naturally applied in the field of controlled quantum systems.

Exploring quantum phases by driven dissipation

Ever since the insight spreaded that tailored dissipation can be employed to control quantum systems and drive them towards pure states, the field of non-equilibrium quantum mechanics gained remarkable momentum. So far research focussed on emergent phenomena caused by the interplay and competition of unitary Hamiltonian and dissipative Markovian dynamics. In this manuscript we zero in on a so far rather understudied aspect of open quantum systems and non-equilibrium physics, namely the utilization of purely dissipative couplings to explore pure quantum phases and non-equilibrium phase transitions. To illustrate this concept, we introduce and scrutinize purely dissipative counterparts of (1) the paradigmatic transverse field Ising model and (2) the considerably more complex $\mathbb{Z}_2$ lattice gauge theory with coupled matter field. We show that, in mean field approximation, the non-equilibrium phase diagrams parallel the (thermal) phase diagrams of the Hamiltonian "blue print" theories qualitatively.