the EU's policy on genetic resources in the CBD / WIPO / TRIPS nexus

The present paper aims at an analysis of the coherence of the European Union’s policy output in the field of Access and Benefit-Sharing, in the nexus between the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. As some preliminary data suggests, during 2006, the EU approach to ABS was fundamentally reorganized. The paper sets out to test whether such a reorganization can be found at the level of policy coherence. Statistical analysis suggests, that with one of two measures for policy coherence, a rupture around 2006 can be observed.First rough draf

Quantum Multiobservable Control

We present deterministic algorithms for the simultaneous control of an arbitrary number of quantum observables. Unlike optimal control approaches based on cost function optimization, quantum multiobservable tracking control (MOTC) is capable of tracking predetermined homotopic trajectories to target expectation values in the space of multiobservables. The convergence of these algorithms is facilitated by the favorable critical topology of quantum control landscapes. Fundamental properties of quantum multiobservable control landscapes that underlie the efficiency of MOTC, including the multiobservable controllability Gramian, are introduced. The effects of multiple control objectives on the structure and complexity of optimal fields are examined. With minor modifications, the techniques described herein can be applied to general quantum multiobjective control problems.Comment: To appear in Physical Review

Encoding a qubit into multilevel subspaces

We present a formalism for encoding the logical basis of a qubit into subspaces of multiple physical levels. The need for this multilevel encoding arises naturally in situations where the speed of quantum operations exceeds the limits imposed by the addressability of individual energy levels of the qubit physical system. A basic feature of the multilevel encoding formalism is the logical equivalence of different physical states and correspondingly, of different physical transformations. This logical equivalence is a source of a significant flexibility in designing logical operations, while the multilevel structure inherently accommodates fast and intense broadband controls thereby facilitating faster quantum operations. Another important practical advantage of multilevel encoding is the ability to maintain full quantum-computational fidelity in the presence of mixing and decoherence within encoding subspaces. The formalism is developed in detail for single-qubit operations and generalized for multiple qubits. As an illustrative example, we perform a simulation of closed-loop optimal control of single-qubit operations for a model multilevel system, and subsequently apply these operations at finite temperatures to investigate the effect of decoherence on operational fidelity.Comment: IOPart LaTeX, 2 figures, 31 pages; addition of a numerical simulatio

Beable trajectories for revealing quantum control mechanisms

The dynamics induced while controlling quantum systems by optimally shaped laser pulses have often been difficult to understand in detail. A method is presented for quantifying the importance of specific sequences of quantum transitions involved in the control process. The method is based on a ``beable'' formulation of quantum mechanics due to John Bell that rigorously maps the quantum evolution onto an ensemble of stochastic trajectories over a classical state space. Detailed mechanism identification is illustrated with a model 7-level system. A general procedure is presented to extract mechanism information directly from closed-loop control experiments. Application to simulated experimental data for the model system proves robust with up to 25% noise.Comment: Latex, 20 pages, 13 figure

Unified analysis of terminal-time control in classical and quantum systems

Many phenomena in physics, chemistry, and biology involve seeking an optimal control to maximize an objective for a classical or quantum system which is open and interacting with its environment. The complexity of finding an optimal control for maximizing an objective is strongly affected by the possible existence of sub-optimal maxima. Within a unified framework under specified conditions, control objectives for maximizing at a terminal time physical observables of open classical and quantum systems are shown to be inherently free of sub-optimal maxima. This attractive feature is of central importance for enabling the discovery of controls in a seamless fashion in a wide range of phenomena transcending the quantum and classical regimes.Comment: 10 page

Loading a Bose-Einstein Condensate onto an Optical Lattice: an Application of Optimal Control Theory to The Non Linear Schr\"odinger Equation

Using a set of general methods developed by Krotov [A. I. Konnov and V. A. Krotov, Automation and Remote Control, {\bf 60}, 1427 (1999)], we extend the capabilities of Optimal Control Theory to the Nonlinear Schr\"odinger Equation (NLSE). The paper begins with a general review of the Krotov approach to optimization. Although the linearized version of the method is sufficient for the linear Schr\"odinger equation, the full flexibility of the general method is required for treatment of the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. Formal equations for the optimization of the NLSE, as well as a concrete algorithm are presented. As an illustration, we consider a Bose-Einstein condensate initially at rest in a harmonic trap. A phase develops across the BEC when an optical lattice potential is turned on. The goal is to counter this effect and keep the phase flat by adjusting the trap strength. The problem is formulated in the language of Optimal Control Theory (OCT) and solved using the above methodology. To our knowledge, this is the first rigorous application of OCT to the Nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation, a capability that is bound to have numerous other applications.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, A reference added, Some typos correcte

Extracting molecular Hamiltonian structure from time-dependent fluorescence intensity data

We propose a formalism for extracting molecular Hamiltonian structure from inversion of time-dependent fluorescence intensity data. The proposed method requires a minimum of \emph{a priori} knowledge about the system and allows for extracting a complete set of information about the Hamiltonian for a pair of molecular electronic surfaces.Comment: 7pages, no figures, LaTeX2

Volume Fractions of the Kinematic "Near-Critical" Sets of the Quantum Ensemble Control Landscape

An estimate is derived for the volume fraction of a subset $C_{\epsilon}^{P} = \{U : ||grad J(U)|\leq {\epsilon}\}\subset\mathrm{U}(N)$ in the neighborhood of the critical set $C^{P}\simeq\mathrm{U}(\mathbf{n})P\mathrm{U}(\mathbf{m})$ of the kinematic quantum ensemble control landscape J(U) = Tr(U\rho U' O), where $U$ represents the unitary time evolution operator, {\rho} is the initial density matrix of the ensemble, and O is an observable operator. This estimate is based on the Hilbert-Schmidt geometry for the unitary group and a first-order approximation of $||grad J(U)||^2$. An upper bound on these near-critical volumes is conjectured and supported by numerical simulation, leading to an asymptotic analysis as the dimension $N$ of the quantum system rises in which the volume fractions of these "near-critical" sets decrease to zero as $N$ increases. This result helps explain the apparent lack of influence exerted by the many saddles of $J$ over the gradient flow.Comment: 27 pages, 1 figur

Learning from learning algorithms: application to attosecond dynamics of high-harmonic generation

Includes bibliographical references (pages 043404-5).Using experiment and modeling, we show that the data set generated when a learning algorithm is used to optimize a quantum system can help to uncover the physics behind the process being optimized. In particular, by optimizing the process of high-harmonic generation using shaped light pulses, we generate a large data set and analyze its statistical behavior. This behavior is then compared with theoretical predictions, verifying our understanding of the attosecond dynamics of high-harmonic generation and uncovering an anomalous region of parameter space